Way To Go Baby S!

Today we threw a party to celebrate a big milestone in a little girl’s life.  It wasn’t a birthday party or a going home celebration, as most of our parties at COTP are.  Instead it was a party to celebrate baby S and her completion of one year of tuberculosis therapy!  

S's first and last dose of TB meds

A year ago today S was so very, very sick.  It had taken me a couple days to get her the medication she needed. When I got home with the pills I immediately began to prepare a suspension, so I could get the medication into her tiny body.  I pushed the red liquid into her NG tube and felt a sense of relief.  She was getting what she needed now, the medicine would fight the infection, and she could start to heal.  Ten minutes later she vomited up the entire dose and I felt completely defeated.  That sort of set the tone for how the next year would go.  Nothing about S's treatment was easy, every step of the way was a fight.  But after a year of struggling to get S what she needed, for the first time in 365 days we woke up today and I didn’t have to squirt that red medicine into her mouth, or a NG tube, or a G-tube, and pray that it would stay down.  Today we woke up and celebrated.  After a year of medications, weeks on and off a ventilator, too many intubations to count, blood transfusions, a surgery, and two cardiac arrests, S has beaten all the odds, and for that we are infinitely grateful to God.

S, I can’t wait to see what God does with your life, because I’m pretty sure He has something big planned.  I hope you know how very loved you are and that you have a whole army of supporters cheering you on.  I'm so grateful for the way they've rallied around you for the past year.

So let me just say thank you...

To Amy, for joining me in the fight for you that first week when you were so very, very sick.  I bet she never thought she’d be placing NG tubes, running feeding pumps, and monitoring oxygen sats when we became roommates, but Amy has always stepped up to do whatever was needed to help take care of you.

To Joel, who probably lost a few years off his life and almost lost a jeep in his determination to get you to Port Au Prince and to the ventilator that would save your life.

To Carla, who would answer my calls or texts at all hours of the day when I needed someone to listen or to join me in prayer for you.

To Tori, who jumped on a plane to come help us when you arrested unexpectedly after your surgery and we just needed an extra set of hands and a friend to help us through that rough patch.

To Sheila, who also joined in to help care for you in those early days when you needed to be monitored 24/7.

To your nannies, Ermanise and Christianese, for spending countless hours at your bedside in the hospital when I couldn’t be there.

To the Doorlag kids, for putting so many smiles on your face by loving you and playing with you.

To the staff and volunteers at Bernard Mevs, who provided you with the best medical care in all of Haiti.

To the COTP family of supporters, for praying for you and for helping to cover your medical expenses.

You did it, S, and we are so very proud of you!

Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos taken of  the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.