Prayers for Willy, Japheth and Julius

It’s been an emotional few days around here. Many of the kids have been sick this week, so we’ve been running around to many doctors offices getting CT scans, ultrasounds and other tests. 

Willy was sick with malaria last week, but we had a nurse come to the house and give him injections for three days then he improved quickly. Then a few days ago, he started having more and and longer seizures during the day and night. Now he is weak from the stress of having so many seizures and he isn’t eating, walking or talking. He has done this many times before and has gone almost five months with very few seizures. It is sad to seem him down again, but it was a blessing to see him doing so well and being healthy for such a long period of time. We started him on IV fluids early and are praying that he recovers quickly.

Japheth is doing well and gaining weight, but we’ve noticed that if he is sitting up after meals that he can’t keep his food down. So we took him to get an X-ray today and the results showed that there is a problem with his diaphragm. After he eats, if he is laying down he has no problem but the food doesn't digest properly if he is sitting. The doctors ordered more tests to find the exact problem, so we will go to Eldoret for more tests next week to see if he needs an operation. Other than that Japheth is making huge improvements. He started off being very sensitive to noise, but he is getting used to being around the other kids and is such a joyful little guy. 

Julius is having the most complicated health issues. We’ve been running him around to doctors offices for months being referred for more tests and still not getting answers. Julius is three years old and his development is extremely delayed. He has been diagnosed with microcephaly, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He doesn’t cry when he feels pain, he doesn’t laugh or smile, he can’t sit, walk, talk and doesn’t respond to noises. He has also been having problems digesting his food. So yesterday we took him to get a CT scan of his head and abdomen and we got the results today. The diagnoses was heartbreaking. The scan showed that his brain is smaller than it should be because of the microcephaly and that there are areas where the brain is atrophying and inactive, which is causing the developmental delays. They also told us that the meningitis that he had when we met him at the hospital has caused hydrocephalus. The doctors told us that he has gastroparesis because the damage to his brain is preventing the muscles in his stomach from working properly. 

The doctor told us that even if they place a shunt to fix the hydrocephalus, the other problems are irreversible. He said that they can make his quality of life better for the time being, but there is little they can do at this point since his body is unable to properly digest food. 

Julius has come a long way since the day that I met him. He has gained weight and his health has improved despite the huge medical challenges that he is facing. God has helped him get this far and will continue to see him through. He brings the light of hope into places where our eyes only see darkness and despair. We are going to Eldoret tomorrow to see a neurologist and see what our next step should be. All I can really do is place faith and hope in God that His purpose for Julius will be fulfilled. I am blessed with great staff that surround me and the kids. Whenever I come back from the doctors with bad news, they always say that now we need to leave it to God. And isn't that the truth. It is comforting to know that God is holding each one of us in his infinite arms and will carry us through, no matter what the end result might be.

 Please keep Julius, Willy, Japheth and the rest of the kids in your prayers this week. 

Sammy

God puts everyone into the right place at the right time. He has a plan for each and every minute of each day of our lives. Last week some friends from Uganda came to stay a few days in Kitale. As we were walking through Shimo, one of the visitors told me that someone was calling my name. I didn’t hear anything, but I went back to see who it was. I walked around and saw a man crawling on the floor. I got closer and still didn’t know who it was, but I knew he was sick, weak, and wouldn’t make it if nobody helped him. 

Then it hit me. It was Sammy. He was always the first at my car when I came to town. He was born and raised in the streets in Kitale. 

He is about 23 years old, but looking at him now you wouldn’t think that he was younger than 40. He has had TB for a long time and keeps starting and stopping the medicine because his alcoholism gets in the way. The day before the other kids in town told me that he had passed away and then I was heartbroken all over again at seeing him like this. 

So I called his friend Jackson who is often in town with him. We sent them to the District Hospital where he was turned away because they said he is a drunk and a street boy. So I told Jackson we would meet them back it his house and figure out what to do next. In the hour’s time that Sammy had been away, the neighbors had demolished his house. They didn’t want him around. So they made it impossible for him to come back. 

Sammy has been thrown out and tossed away by everyone he knows. He’s been given up on and written off as a lost cause. Seeing someone so weak and vulnerable, unable to walk or speak clearly and the people around him still don’t have compassion for him in his situation is heartbreaking. 

I know that there is the risk that once Sammy recovers he will go back to his old lifestyle, but God calls us to help the lost causes and allow him to do his work in their hearts. Jackson’s heart was also broken by Sammy’s situation. He agreed to help take care of him and I am amazed by how dedicated he is to getting Sammy back to his healthy self. 

Jackson and Sammy.

Sammy's feet were full of jiggers and after removing them they were still painful.
We went to visit them and we found Jackson soaking and cleaning his feet.

We are doing all we can and relying on God to do the rest. Please keep Sammy in your prayers as his body continues to heal and he continues gaining strength.