I mentioned yesterday all my children have been, or are, sick. Sandra, too, had been ill with a cold, cough and fever. She, however, had come through it and was okay. Yesterday she went downhill again and was still not well this morning. Too, we had discovered another problem. Her vaginal opening had closed, almost looked like it was stuck together, and red. Whenever we checked her she would cry in pain and would cry when she would wet her diaper. This morning I sent Antoinette to the dispensary with her. The hospital will no longer let me take my children there directly. The nurse at the dispensary sent her to the hospital so then Antoinette and I took her there. She was burning up by then as the meds I had given her had worn off.
What a zoo the hospital is – absolutely a 20 ring circus. I strongly dislike having to go there. I cannot swim. I, however, would prefer someone kick me into the contaminated canal water in front of the mission rather than go to the hospital. But I do so out of love for my children. I arrived there at 11:00 a.m. and six hours later I was still holding my extremely hot baby who had not yet been given any meds. She had seen a doctor after four hours of us being sent to eleven different places in the hospital. The doctor said she needed to be admitted. Then another two hours passed while trying to pay to have an xray and blood work done. Finally after one more hour had passed (making it seven) and while they were looking for a bed and place to put her I asked them to give her something for the fever. It did not go over well with the nurse but they did do so. Antoinette is staying with Sandra tonight and Naomie came back from her supposed day off to take care of the children. Fun and games. Tonight I was Doctor Mama again as I was going around with my little bag of meds for various ailments, checking on and administering what was necessary to several of the other sick children.
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| Sandra moving without her knees touching cement |
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| Sandra and Karena calling Dana on telephones she brought down |
Today was our first day of school after the Christmas break. We did not have a lot of students. Some schools did not open today and do not plan to do so this week. Reason: the word was out that President Martelly had said on the radio that people did not have to return to school until after January 12th (the second anniversary of the deadly earthquake.) Last Thursday – early morning 4:25 a.m. – I was preparing to leave for PAP with our visitors. While standing in my bathroom I started to feel like I was standing in a boat. The mirror on the wall started to move and the room door starting moving as if someone was knocking lightly on it. My thought was “No, it absolutely cannot be happening.” It stopped and I became relaxed again. It was according to the radio news a 5.2 earthquake. The weather is not normal for this time of the year, all overcast and feeling heavy, and the people are nervous – thinking perhaps something bad is going to happen again. We, however, plan to keep our school open this week as normal.
Thanks for praying for Sandra, my other children, Seth and Jessie, and for Haiti. Too, for me to be able to keep going and keep it all together. Thanks for the prayer support and for every other kind of support that comes this way. Needed and greatly appreciated.
IT IS ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN
Love and Blessings.
~Karen and gang
