The Baby

So I wanted to tell the full story of the baby that I get the pleasure of visiting about once a week. On one of our community outreaches someone steered us to a needy family. They have a 13 month old little girl that was born with several disabilities. Well she wasn't born with them we don't think. We believe that she was poisoned with a vaccine. She turned completely yellow the day after her 3 month vaccinations. She lost control of her extremities shortly after. And soon began to have nearly constant body tremors. This isn't like the "Autism" poisoning craziness. Here in Cambodia there is no FDA or really any type of governmental protections, so a vaccine poisoning is very likely. She still have no motor control of any of her limps, and her tongue does its own thing all together. This makes feeding her a very difficult and slow task. We are unsure of the long term damage to this babies brain and hope to get her into a reliable clinic for an appropriate diagnosis and connections with long term care.

This babies mother is my hero. Most children with disabilities here are completely neglected. They are either killed, mistreated, or dropped off at an orphanage. The courage this mother has! She is so willing to do anything, to sacrifice everything for a future for her child. She has prayed and prayed that someone would care, the doctors here have lent her no help. The medical system has no structure for long term care. She has prayed and prayed, her family has prayed and prayed that someone would come and that someone would care. Its beautiful the way the Lord orchestras, the way he connects this body, the way he provides for his own, with his won. In the month or so that I have spent with the family, I have gotten 3 phone calls from extended family thanking me profusely for helping their family. There thankfulness and relief is both beautiful...and to be honest makes me quite heavy. I feel heavy with almost every interaction with this family. I can see the hope in the mother, I can see hope renewed in the whole family. However, I am here for 3 months, and only sort of know what I am talking about. However, I know the Lord is faithful and has plans for this connection. I know that He will provide for his family. Please pray that the Lord connects us with long term care for this family and that also he provides the funding that this baby will be sure to need.Whether it be through me and the body that I am directly connected to or another extension of himself. Pray that we can provide long term change and care for this dedicated family.

In the time that I have been working with her, she has gained the ability to turn her head from right to left with ease. She has begun to practice the motion of holding her head. She is trying when we prompt her but this task will take her awhile to master. A few days ago on our visit, she grasped for a toy. She reached forward with both hands in pursuit of a singing butterfly, this was beautiful. This was one of the first times we saw intentional effort to reach, this is a very big deal in OT world. The above picture is of her holding her toy, it took some assisstance in order to make this motion happen, however, the baby seemed quite satisfied with herself when he was holding with both hands. It was a fun moment for all. She is beginning to eat solid foods, which is a huge relief for the family. I however, have had little to no effect on the feeding process. Mom is a champion and has figured out the best approach on all her own. I am telling you this mother is darn amazing!

Again the Lord has shown me what Hope looks like. Hope is relevant here. Hopelessness is almost a way of life for those in need. There is no 911, rehab centers, caring doctors, caring nurses, educated medical professionals, all assistance for the handicap comes via NGO's. So in short, it has been a privilege to work with this family and get to know this baby and mother. I look forward to this coming month with expectancy, really unknown expectancy for the Lord to come and move and provide. Pray for this please, I need help, I need someone with an actual education, I need a pediatrician and a OT. I need long term care. Or I need a miracle, that's an option too:) Pray for which ever option the Lord leads you too. Let me know if you know someone who can help.