Many Hands Extended - Thank you Calvary Reformed Christian Church

Over the past few weeks, I have been very aware, more so than ever, that the staff at God's Littlest Angels in Haiti are not alone in our efforts to care for our babies at the orphanage's main house.

That fact was underscored two days ago, when my precious baby Jusmy choked on his morning medications, stopped breathing, turned blue, and needed basic resuscitation measures to help him recover.

Mme Bernard and I lept into action, suctioning the baby's airway, and turning on the new oxygen concentrator machine. The oxygen concentrator arrived a month ago, and was, I knew, donated by Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Michigan.The oxygen concentrator is the shown on the bottom right of this shot.

Two of GLA's children attend that church. When he first came the orphanage, one of these children,  Aiden, was recovered from malnutrition in the main house nurseries. Two years after their children arrived home in Michigan, Jeff and Marrisa Brinks were mindful of the children GLA continued to nurse to health and they encouraged their church  to support our work in the intensive care nursery.

Calvary Reformed Christian Church also donated a syringe pump (shown on the incubator shelf). This arrived in Haiti the very day that GLA received the call about Jusmy - a malnourished, baby, born prematurely with a severe cleft lip and palate. We were able to use that syringe pump to infuse a lipid solution and antibiotics at a controlled rate, to stabilise this extremely fragile infant.

It was a great encouragement to the NICU staff and to me, to realise the warmth and appreciation with which these pieces of equipment were given. In turn, we would like to encourage the Brinks family and their home church with the knowledge that Jusmy, who, was critically ill when he was admitted to God's Littlest Angels, is doing very well. This baby, who was turned away from the hospital in which he was born as a hopeless case, is re-gaining his health, growing and gaining weight in our NICU in the Haitian mountains.

Your generous donations helped to make that possible. The oxygen concentrator and IV syringe pump are gifts that will pay forward, long after Aiden and Samara have forgotten their time with us, giving hope and life to many babies.

No, the Haitian and foreign staff are not alone as we care for these children. There are many hands extended out to them. Thank you for being those hands.

With heart-felt gratitude

Susan, Jusmy and the NICU staff