In Septemeber 2008, I traveled 6000 miles to Haiti's Kenscoff mountains. My mission: to care for some of the orphaned and abandoned, the sick, malnourished and premature infants of this beautiful but beleagured Caribbean nation.





Friday 26 February 2010

Sweeter Than Honey, More Precious Than Gold


This is the reason for the hope that is in me:

On Tuesday afternoon, 12 month old Clercineau was admitted from a rescue centre in Cazalle, a rural area, North of Port-au-Prince. He weighed 5lb 7oz.

He was severely emaciated, dehydrated and suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. The staff at the clinic had been unable to get him to drink, and had sited a feeding tube.

That first night, we worked on stabilizing Clercineau, giving him fluids and electrolytes. By the morning, he was rehydrated, and sucking soy formula from a bottle. His weight had gone up by 7 oz and he looked much, much better.

We hoped Clercineau might live, and we believed it might be possible, yet we also knew that there were no guarantees for such a fragile infant.

Last night, Clercineau's volunteer, Miss Vicky, who works with him one-on-one from 8am-5pm, expressed concern. He would not drink at all. When I examined him, I found that he had a fever and he was slightly dehydrated. We decided that Clercineau needed another feeding tube.

Overnight, Clercineau removed the tube, and began drinking on his own again. I weighed him this morning: 6lb 3.5oz!

As I congratulated our champion on this fantastic achievement, he smiled. 'Wi,' I nodded, 'bon travay ti Gason!' (good work little man!)

Clercineau returned the nod, with a shy grin, and his eyes shone. Oh, my goodness, it was sweeter than honey, and more precious than gold! You see, when a severely malnourished baby smiles, you know that there is a healing on the inside, and a will to live.

We continue to pray that Clercineau will gain weight, day-by-day becoming stronger and healthier. Today, we pray with faith - we know that the God we canot see is at work in this tiny boy's life. Without God, surely, Clercineau would not have survived to be 12 months old, with a weight of 5lb.

6 comments:

Tiana said...

Eat, baby, eat!

We're praying for you, Clercineau!

denie heppner said...

wow. amazing. so fun to read about your ministry, the sad and the triumphant. praying for you all!

Ithappenstobehaiti said...

wonderful news! I will pray for this little boy everytime I feed my own 1 year old. Thank you for doing what you do!

Cathy said...

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to come back to visit and read your blog. With such sadness I tell myself, just stop reading. But tonight I know why I keep coming back, it is HOPE! Clercineau is pure honey and precious Gold. Of course, all of God's children are! Thank you for your tireless effort.

Brittnei said...

That smile is breath taking
praying for this little man :)

anna k said...

Susan, he looks amazing :)))