2022 started off with a few extra struggles. 

While I was home for Christmas, my house-sitter told me my dog, Ziva, got bored and had been chewing a few things.  It wasn’t until after I got back and headed out for the first time that I realized she had actually chewed all the wires off in the front of my car that she could reach. 

Some lights, the turn signals, and the horn.

Not many people use their blinkers in Haiti that’s not a big deal, I am very rarely out after dark and again many people don’t have lights at night either.  But you just can’t drive in Haiti without a horn. Lights are a luxury but a horn is essential!!

After about six days getting everything rewired and all the fuses replaced, I was good to go!  The very next day I was running my generator and smelled something burning. 

People are always burning stuff so it wasn’t a big deal.  Until I walked into my office and could see the glow of fire off my security wall.  Thankfully it wasn’t the generator but everything at my power distribution point was on fire. 

Low water pressure is a way of life as water is just coming from the elevation of the roof. But it’s never so troubling as when you’re trying to put a fire out.  It burned all the wires for the city power, generator power, and all the lines to and from the inverter.

So, the entire house was without power for 3 days while I got that repaired! (I am MUCH more interested in practicing medicine than learning about wiring and electrical repair!)

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It was good to get back to Haiti and my patients! 

Many of my moms had their babies while I was gone!  One of them was Stephanie, who had a little boy a few weeks earlier than planned. MarVensky was only a few days old and was very little when he came to visit.

He was only 2.0 Kg or 4.4 Lbs. He was so small. But he was very alert and seemed to be doing very well. I went over a bunch of things with mom that are important for preemie babies. When she came back the next week it had gained almost a ½ a kg or 0.9 pounds!!!

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A friend from the states contacted me and said that Ketly was sick and asked if I could see him. 

They said that he has some unique issues which may make his care more difficult. He was born a preemie when mom got preeclampsia, and he was delivered by C-section. 

He had a very difficult road and was in the hospital a very long time — and almost died multiple times. He has a feeding tube in place and has some disabilities. I agreed to see him.

When Ketly arrived, he was pretty scared of me. He has probably had a lot of bad experiences with white people as well as people in medical settings. After some time, he started to warm up a little. Thankfully, he wasn’t actually sick. But mom was just trying to find some help. 

When he was born, among his many other struggles, his esophagus didn’t connect to his stomach (esophageal atresia). She had been told that surgery may fix it and she was looking for help. He has a fistula in the side of his neck where his spit comes out as he isn’t able to swallow anything. Mom was just feeling overwhelmed with all the care he takes. 

I encouraged her for doing a good job caring for him. 

I got some information to their friends in the states for them to work through to see if Ketly would be able to have corrective surgery. I gave him a couple of match box cars and some sunglasses.  He was feeling pretty cool and important in his new glasses!!

Please pray for Ketly’s mom as she cares for him on a daily basis.

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I was able to open the medical clinic again after almost 2 years!!!!! 

I see and care for a lot of kids with skin issues. Scabies seems to go in waves. And it’s scabies season. 

The cute little baby below has scabies. Scabies are very itchy. And, unfortunately, she has scratched them until she has gotten Impetigo as well. (Impetigo came from having dirty fingernails.) 

Education is part of every clinic and good hand hygiene is part of that!  I have to treat the infection AND teach about good hygiene — or the process with just start over again.

A young mom came into the first medical clinic looking for help for her son, Richardson. 

He had some birth defects. He was 45 days old. She had no idea that he was sick or malnourished. It was quickly apparent that he was not healthy. He was very swollen and his skin on his legs were very shiny. 

He was suffering from Kwashiorkor. 

Kwashiorkor is a severe protein deficiency that’ll cause multiple issues — and can lead to death without aggressive treatment. Mom was breastfeeding him some but did not have any protein in her own diet. 

Without coming to see me, he would have probably died within the next week.

I was able to find Richardson placement in an inpatient malnutrition center, and provide them transportation to the facility. 

Thank-You for making it possible to provide care to Richardson and show the love of Jesus to him and his mom!  You are a part of his story — a story that didn’t end in tragedy!

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I introduced you to Anne in the last blog update. She is 19 years old and has a very bad heart. 

I have partnered with Haiti Cardiac Alliance to help with her care. She has exhausted the abilities of Haiti and hasn’t truly gotten a complete diagnosis. She requires a diagnostic cardiac catheterization to get a complete diagnosis.

Unfortunately, she took a turn for the worse in the last couple weeks. 

She has gone into Atrial Fibrillation and not normal Atrial Fib. She has an elevated rate, sometimes as high as 170. 

As with all patients with Atrial Fib, I have started her on Coumadin to try to reduce the chance of a blood clot (which could cause a heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolism).

She lives in the downtown area (which is frequently unsafe). Please pray for Anne, her heart, and that she will be safe as she goes to the lab each week for her blood work to regulate her Coumadin levels.

(It also makes it difficult to check on her as she has to come up to my clinic — and this takes a lot out of her to have to make the trip.)

We are looking to get her a diagnostic cardiac cath in the Dominican Republic, or possibly the Grand Cayman Islands. This procedure will probably be $5,000+ with transportation and housing. 

If the heart catheter indicates that it’s repairable, she would need to go to the states for open heart surgery. It could cost around $40,000. The first step is the catheterization for a definitive diagnosis. 

I will update you when I know more but would you consider if you would be able to be a part of Anne’s story when the time comes?

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Haiti continues to have ongoing and furthering gang issues. 

The insecurities in the street continue. The numbers in the clinic are lower because people are scared to leave their own neighborhoods. 

But the need is even greater as the prices and availability of things become more difficult.  With your help, Kelby’s Kids is still serving in Haiti, sharing the gospel, and providing care to the many that come each day to the clinic.

“Dear Children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

Thank-you for helping to bring hope and love to so many in Haiti through your prayers and sacrificial giving to the work of Kelby’s Kids! It truly does make a difference!

Until No Child Dies,

Kelby