Lots of Prayer Requests

Today was a busier than average day at ASELSI. Normally, clinic there takes about four hours. Today was about six and a half and we weren't even close to done with our day yet. Not only were there a lot of patients, but the ones we had needed a lot of help. I guess we'll just start at the top.

The first was a return patient named Francisca Morales. She is 35 years old, is in her eighth pregnancy and has only had four live births. She lost the other three while she was pregnant due to beatings she took from her husband. We told you about her about a month ago after her first visit. Well, she left her husband yesterday and took her kids. That's a pretty big deal here. We asked her if she had moved in with family and she said that, no, she is renting an apartment. Rent is about $26 a month. She makes tortillas and sells them to pay the bills. We're not exactly sure just yet how we're going to help her, but we're definitely going to help her. Please pray for her and her family.

The second is Maria Suy Chan. We also told you about her about a month ago. She is 22 weeks into her 11th pregnancy and is only 35 years old. She has what we believe to be inflamatory breast cancer. If we're right, she's in a bit of trouble. It's a particularly rare and particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. When we first saw her, we suggested that she go to Guatemala City and get a mammogram, which she did (which is no small feat - it's about a four hour drive to The City and quite a pain once you get there). Her husband came in with her today and is a very caring and loving husband - she's quite lucky. We referred her to Dr. Hoak who is going to perform a biopsy tomorrow between hernia surgeries. Please pray that we're wrong on our initial diagnosis and, if not, that we can somehow help her with this condition.

The third is Jose. Jose originally came to ASELSI as a diabetes patient. He is a professional driver but due to his diabetes, couldn't see well enough to drive. Sharon got his sugar under control and he started driving again. Soon after, though, he was involved in a pretty serious accident in which he broke his arm quite badly. We referred him to Dr. Edgar, a Guatemalan Orthopedic Surgeon who is a friend of ours, who is helping with his broken arm. However, it appears that Jose's personal demon is alcohol. He got drunk this past weekend, fell on his broken arm, and additionally, has an abscess in his mouth. Not a good week for Jose. He is a Christian, but continues to struggle with his addiction. Please pray for his injuries and for his continuing battle.

The fourth is Lesly Andreina Xon Ixtuc. She was born on June 15, 2006 (making her about five months old) at about ten pounds, according to the midwife. His mom brought her in to ASELSI today because she has a cough. On exam, we found that she was frighteningly malnourished (later found to be 3 lbs 13 oz). We sent Mom home to talk to Dad with the thought that she would need to come to the hospital with the baby to be admitted to the in-patient nutrition program. Thus, we met our second supportive dad of the day. His name is Juan Xon. He and the baby's mom waited for us outside our clinic door for over an hour while we saw other patients, then rode with us to the Hospital Buen Samaritano, where Heidi had to see another patient - one whose uterus is literally hanging between her legs. Then they rode with us here to Quiche.

On the way, they told us that when Lesly was born, the midwife told them that she thought there was another baby still inside and they had to come to the hospital here. They did but were told that there was no twin. Mom was still bleeding quite heavily but they kept her from eating for two days (because she needed a D&C - a quick surgery to clean out the uterus and stop the bleeding). She got hungry and left the hospital AMA (against medical advice). Thank God the bleeding stopped and she didn't die. The baby, however, wasn't breast feeding well, so they started feeding her hot water. This continued for a month before they decided to buy formula for her. We may have mentioned before that health education is somewhat lacking here. These are very well-intentioned parents, they just don't know any better.

Did we mention that this baby is about as white as we are, has crossed eyes, and is apparently a Down's Syndrome baby? None of this really helps her condition.

Well, we got them to the hospital this afternoon and waited for about two hours for a doctor to come examine her. Once they finally showed up, they were very nice and helpful, and a nurse actually spoke K'iche to the mother (it's quite rare for educated people to admit that they can speak K'iche). Mom and baby have been admitted to the hospital and we will check on them as often as we can to help keep Mom fed and see what we can do to help cover lab costs.

Oh, and one more little tidbit on the day. Okay, maybe two. We had a woman come in (with a supportive husband - it was a good day for that) who had been to the hospital because she was having pain in an area that would cause concern for a pregnant woman. They told her that the pain might have something to do with her baby and that she should get an ultrasound. No kidding? Well, the hospital HAS an ultrasound. But they referred her to a private lab she couldn't afford, so she simply waited until today and came to our clinic. Everything looked fine, thank God.

Another patient (with a supportive husband, too - like we said, a good day for that) said she couldn't feel her baby moving and had a note from some type of health center that said they couldn't detect any fetal heart tones either. So with some dread, we fired up the ultrasound and found.... a healthy baby! After Heidi showed the mother that the baby was moving on the screen, she admitted that she could feel it moving now, but only on one side. We'll take that.

Oh, and the record for today was a 35 year old patient in her 14th pregnancy!!! Guess that's what happens when televisions are too expensive for most to afford...

Below is a picture of little Lesly. Please pray for her and her mother (who does not speak Spanish and is now staying here at the hospital where very few people speak K'iche). Dad works in the fields and only makes $4 a day, so he won't be able to come very often to visit. We'll do what we can, but our K'iche is a little lacking, just yet.