ANGEL HOUSE ORPHANAGE IS AN OASIS IN THE DESERT FOR HAITIAN CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED.
It’s a place where they find safety, good care, and love. But sometimes they come to us broken and in desperate need of medical help.
MEET ANGELA, JONAS, AND LEILAH.
These three children arrived individually between September 2021 and May 2022, each with unique and significant medical needs.
ANGELA WAS THE FIRST TO ARRIVE.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that “Angel” can be found in her name, for this little girl is truly a miracle. Despite being born without an anus, Angela is all sunshine and effervescence—a daily delight to us! She is a fighter and is achieving her developmental goals despite her challenges.
Angela was abandoned at a nearby hospital, almost certainly because her family was not able to care for her. She immediately underwent colostomy surgery as a stop-gap measure to save her life. Now that she is with us, we will make sure she gets whatever care she needs to live a healthy and normal life.
Angela has a temporary colostomy for now, but there are two surgeries on the horizon at the local children’s hospital that will change the game for her significantly. The first surgery will create the new, functional anus, and the second one will eliminate the colostomy and connect her new anus to her colon. Timing is important for these procedures; this second surgery is a very serious matter, and it will be safer for her once she is a little older. Success is not guaranteed, but we have confidence in her amazing pediatric team! And Angela is a fighter who surprises us daily with her strength and determination.
Before all that happens, her doctors are monitoring Angela closely to make sure that other medical concerns are addressed. Amongst those concerns is a diagnosis of sickle cell anemia, which complicates things a bit.
Until her surgeries are complete, Angela will need lots of extra support—medications, colostomy pouches, and other medical supplies that go along with that. Because she is a baby, she needs some specialized items that are not available in Haiti and must be shipped in from North America.
JONAS ARRIVED IN APRIL.
This sweet little guy was found left behind at a local church. Some of the church members cared for Jonas for nearly a week and gave him his name, but they took him to IBESR (Haitian social services) when they realized they were not equipped to care for him. When IBESR called us for help, we could immediately see that Jonas was not a typical baby; although he was calm, he did not seem responsive to words or touch, and it was clear that something was just not right. Medical evaluations revealed that Jonas is afflicted with epilepsy, microcephaly, and cerebral palsy. It also appears that he might be partially blind.
Jonas’ rescuers did not have much information to share with us about either his health or his family of birth. Although he is small and his birthdate that was shared with us is November 2021, we think he might be older. He has settled into Angel House nicely and seems to feel at ease, although he struggles frequently with seizures and some mobility issues—mainly with his neck, which he wants to keep turned to one side. Medication is helping to slow the onset and severity of the seizures, thankfully. He does not smile much, but Jonas is a sweet little baby and is usually calm and quiet except when disturbing noises cause him to cry.
For now, Jonas will work with a therapist to expand his mobility and focus, and he will meet with an ophthalmologist very soon to evaluate his vision. We are unsure what his medical expenses will be at this point, beyond the therapist, but this small child has some big hurdles ahead of him to cross.
OUR NEWEST ARRIVAL IS LEILAH ROSE.
Because this tiny girl arrived without a name, it was up to our Crèche Director to choose her moniker: Leilah Rose…isn’t that lovely?
Leilah was found abandoned in an isolated field by two ladies passing by. A few days later, they brought her to IBESR, who immediately called for us to pick her up. We arrived to find Leilah sleeping on a table in the office. As she woke, we could see right away that she was alert and seemed mentally healthy, but her tiny body was another matter: Leilah had misshapen bones at her hip, knee, foot, and hand levels. We gathered this precious little six-week-old girl up and carried her back to Angel House.
Leilah has settled in very well at the orphanage. Physically, she looks different from the other babies, but cognitively she is a normal, healthy baby. She is a sweet girl, already full of smiles and responsive to her many admirers. Leilah never cries—a remarkable trait in a tiny baby! After a good meal and a fresh bath, she spends most of her time sleeping.
We quickly sought out medical help to find out how best to treat and care for Leilah. X-rays and a thorough examination revealed that her hips and both knees are dislocated, both feet are clubbed, one hand is clubbed, and her neck is malformed so that she keeps her head to one side.
The first strategy for Leilah has been to fully cast her feet and knees. They will need to be re-cast every eight days to encourage her joints to align properly. If this strategy doesn’t accomplish all we hope it will, her orthopedist will consider surgery when she’s older, likely between three and five years of age. Her dislocated hip will require surgery at that same time, but for now she will be fitted with a special medical brief to help her legs and hips stay aligned and encourage normal growth. Similarly, her wrist and neck will each be fitted with a brace.
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO THESE THREE LITTLE ONES IF THEY HAD NOT MADE THEIR WAY TO THREE ANGELS.
But we do know that in our care, they will receive the best and most loving attention possible. Our own medical staff plus partnering hospitals and physicians, along with our generous medical advisors in North America, will pool their energies and expertise to administer plans for health and recovery for these broken little angels with the best of care. Each will require a unique strategy and expert advice from specialists, but we know there is hope for each of them!
THEY WILL ALL ALSO REQUIRE A LOT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO MEET ALL THESE MEDICAL EXPENSES, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE.
That’s where YOU come in!
Please consider supporting one or more of these children financially, either with a one-time gift or by sponsoring monthly. A healthy child at Angel House needs 10 sponsors to meet their regular monthly needs, but a child with such significant challenges needs at least 30 monthly sponsors. With three such children, we need at least 90 monthly sponsorships to provide everything they need. We know that’s a lot to hope for, but that didn’t stop us from taking a giant leap of faith and committing to care for these precious babies until they go home with their forever families—an event that will likely take years… maybe many years.
The bottom line is that we cannot do this without you, so keep scrolling for ways to become a part of the lives of these broken little angels!
Learn more about Orphan Care Sponsorship and sign up to sponsor by clicking the button below, and be sure to let us know which child (or children) you would like to sponsor:
Make a big impact by giving a one-time gift to help support the care of these children by clicking the button below:
We are so grateful for those who step outside of their comfort and perhaps their logic to join us in this battle to rescue children in far-away Haiti to give them health, safety, a knowledge of Christ, and HOPE.
Thank you!
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