Good day of reviews...

Today was a really good day. No clinic, but a number of reviews. All of which reminded me of why I am here. Just to give you an idea…

A 4 month old whose mother died after child birth; his grandmother takes care of him now but can’t afford baby formula. He was 2.5 kg when I first met him at 3 weeks of age, so I decided to help him out. Today he came for his supply of milk again. I’m not really a fan of formula, but what would this little guy have done without it. It’s so much fun watching him grow & develop.

A 2 ½ month old girl who was found next to a latrine just after birth, still attached to her placenta. The lady who found her has been bringing her to the clinic since she was 2 weeks old. She's doing well. I wonder what the future holds for this little girl. It’s got to be good!

The highlight was when two of my patients, their mothers actually, met each other. I met Hassan when he was a day old, with a severe cleft lip and palate. He struggled with his weight for the first few months but slowly started gaining, mostly due to his mother’s patience and perseverance. He recently had a successful cleft lip surgery on the Anastasis. Meanwhile, about 3 weeks ago, I met a 5 day old girl, with a cleft lip and palate. You need to understand that the parents of these children are pretty distraught- most people blame them for their child’s problem or say it is a ‘devil child’. So with the social burden, adjusting to the idea that your child has a birth defect and the everyday struggles here, it is hard to feed these children properly. So I asked Hassan’s mother to come today, to meet the girl’s mom. Well, late in the morning, the little girl’s family finally arrived. I introduced the mom’s to each other and they started talking. Hassan’s mother started speaking words of encouragement, telling the mom to be patient, showing her pictures of Hassan I had given her, telling her that her child is not a devil child, that she loves to play with her son, that it is not the mom's fault, telling her about the ship, etc. The little girl’s mom couldn’t help but cry, and I was on the verge too. So there we were, two families and myself, sharing with each other. I was so blessed to be a part of this. What an amazing testimony of God’s faithfulness and His love for us. I am so proud of Hassan’s mom, for her endurance and love. And I am sure that the little girl’s mother is going to do her best to help her little one grow as she waits for her surgery in 2008.

What a good day...