I know it’s been a little while so we have a lot to catch up on! So, grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable while you catch up on what’s happening with Kelby’s Kids!
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I was able to come back to Michigan on July 1st for my summer break and to work at my summer camps.
Just before I left for Michigan, Ludella came to the clinic with her baby. If you missed it, I introduced you to her back in March.
At her first appointment at the maternity clinic, she only weighed 88 pounds. She was very poor and had very little food to eat. She’d also had a stroke as a child and had difficulty using the right side of her body, and her speech was difficult to understand.
She had been coming to the maternity clinic every week to get food and care. Because she was at every clinic, many of the other moms got to know her and were actually kind to her, and would help her with her hair and other things.
Unfortunately, disabled people in Haiti are often looked down on as if they don’t have any value. It was good to see the other moms warm up to her, and find value in her friendship.
She did very well during her pregnancy — and gained 26 pounds! She had a very healthy little girl at 6 pounds, 7 ounces!
A proud and healthy mama with her healthy baby!!
She had her baby at the local hospital. (The last time I saw her, she’d not yet named the baby).
I was rather upset by her delivery story!
Right after giving birth, the hospital took the baby away from mama!
After some time she asked “where’s my baby?” The hospital offered her money for her little girl!
Now, there are many scenarios where one could say that maybe mama misunderstood what was happening, or what the hospital’s intentions were. BUT, I have been in that hospital … and have been solicited to buy kids!
So, besides the fact that the government-run hospital provides very poor care, they also openly traffic children!
I would like to think that maybe our little maternity clinic played a small part in giving mama the self-worth to say “NO! I want my baby back!” I hope that this little girl will grow up knowing that she is very loved by her mother — even though mom may be a little different by some standards.
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Shortly after I’d returned to Michigan on the first of July, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home on the seventh.
As a result, the airport and the borders were closed for several days. It also resulted in a lot of unknowns as to what would happen to Haiti in the coming days.
Haiti was already very politically unstable before the assassination. I was very thankful that, by God’s sovereignty, I left when I did.
Oftentimes I have to book tickets months out to get a better deal on a round trip ticket If I had been delayed this could have made attending the camps much more difficult. It’s always a blessing to be able to serve at camp every summer, especially after missing last year due to Covid 19.
I believe that I have been working at camps for 24 years — and I still love it!
I am also thankful that Haiti has kept things together and the assassination has not further spiraled Haiti into more political trouble than it’s already experiencing.
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I returned to Haiti on July 31st. The day before I left as I was trying to get many last-minute things done before returning for 5 months.
As I pulled out from my house to run to town, I could see some smoke in the air. I thought to myself, “you’re really not supposed to be burning in the city limits.”
As I continued, I could smell the smoke more strongly, and knew it wasn’t simply the smell of leaves burning.
I, of course, had to check it out.
As I turned a familiar corner to find the source of the smoke, I found it — my old fire station was on fire!
I was first on scene. A vehicle was on fire inside the station.
I quickly parked and tried to get inside. The door code had changed from my days on the department. I could hear sirens, and realized they were returning from another fire — and now responding back to their own station for a structure fire.
When the first truck arrived, I started helping with the initial attack — like I’d never left!
After the fire was out. I’m on the far left.
Thankfully most of the damage was limited to a small portion of the building. But, still, it was hard to see this happen to the department I’d been with for 16 years!
It’d been quite a while since I have gotten a good adrenalin rush from a fire call!
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It’s important to get breaks from all the stresses and emotions of Haiti and to be able to decompress from life here. But it’s also always good to get back. I enjoy working with little ones and to be able to make a difference in their lives!
So cute in his little hat!!
Many babies were born while I was gone. And they are starting to come back to the maternity clinic for there follow up visits.
It’s always encouraging to see healthy babies and moms and know that we’re helping them beat the odds — Haiti’s got one of the highest maternal death rates in the world.
I do education every week with moms on how to take care of themselves during pregnancy, delivery, and afterwards.
It’s always difficult when moms come in and have not been doing the simple things they were taught to help keep their babies safe and healthy. It’s very difficult to work though culture of “it’s what we always do” thinking.
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Last week, little Hanna came into the malnutrition clinic. She was tiny. She was almost 9 months old and only weighed 10 pounds.
She was off the malnutrition chart. She was sick. She cried and refused to eat or drink anything. Sometimes babies get to a malnourished point where their bodies just want it all to be over.
So little and vulnerable.
We started working on getting her placed at in-patient malnutrition care.
Mama said that she’d need to go home and take care of her other child first (a caretaker must stay with the children at in-patient centers). We asked who was taking car of her 3-year-old back home.
“No one,” she said. She’d just locked her in the house and left her alone.
Hanna was very sick, and same-day arrangements were made to get her critical care.
Mama said she’d have to return the next day, as she couldn’t take care of all of it today. So, arrangements were made for the next morning.
We suspected that she was using Hanna to make money — and that she didn’t really want her child to be better.
We’ve seen this before.
The next morning came and went … and mama never showed up.
We heard from another mom that Hanna had been taken to a witch doctor instead. Please pray that Hanna will survive.
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BUT THERE’S MORE!
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As most of you seen on the news, on August 14th at 8:29 am Haiti experienced another devastating earthquake.
The 7.2 magnitude epicenter was about 80 miles west of me.
Although there was very little damage in Port-au-Prince, it was quite the ride.
For comparison, when I was in Port-de-Paix for the last earthquake, the aftershocks were like a big truck going by. One aftershock felt like the truck hit the building. There was an incredible swaying and rolling back and forth.
I ran outside and was disoriented because it messed with my balance so much. It was amazing to watch my vehicle bouncing and rocking back and forth. It was unbelievable that the house didn’t crumble down — everything was moving! But I guess when it all moves as one piece, you’re okay.
For this most-recent quake, the damage was devastating about half way out the southern peninsula. THEN tropical storm Grace hit the area 2 days after the quake.
The death toll continues to rise above 2,000. 10 days later there were still villages that had not received any help due to access — landslides and broken bridges. People are trying to get to these areas to send GPS locations so the U.S. Coast Guard can fly in and hoist patients out.
The main road from Port-au-Prince to the area is completely controlled by gangs, and has been for months. This has required that almost all of the aid has had to arrive by plane and helicopter. Last week the gangs carjacked an ambulance loaded with patients going to Port-au-Prince.
Please pray for Haiti as so many are completely broken by all they have been through.
I decided that I could not just leave all my patients here hanging as I went out there to help them instead. I also anticipate very shortly I will start seeing patients that have been brought to Port-au-Prince and they have been discharged or never found care that need help in the wound care clinic.
The medical system was very overloaded even before all this.
Just because he is so cute!!
Kelby’s Kids continues to bring help, minister to, and share the gospel in Haiti because of your faithful prayer support and your sacrificial giving to support this ministry. You are key to this work continuing.
You made Ludella’s story of hope possible. Thank-you for coming along side of me. And thank-you for taking the time to catch up with Kelby’s Kids!
Blessings on your day!
Until No Child Dies,
Kelby