Today was a sad day for us at the Child Center. One of the malnourished children that we have been feeding died. The child’s mother came this morning to tell us. She had not been bringing the child regularly to the Center to get the food. She said that the child just kept getting weaker and weaker. The child died at home; we suspect that they were going to the fetish and using local medicine to treat the child when all the child really needed was good food to eat. Steve gave the mother a little sympathy money.
The mother and child that we sent to the hospital in Tamale yesterday came back this morning. The young girl is about 8 or 9 years old. She has what the doctors in Yendi said was a dislocated hip but 3 months ago they advised her to take the child to Tamale to the teaching hospital but the mother knew she did not have health insurance or money for the treatment and surgery so she found a pair of crutches and gave them to the girl. The mother brought the chart from the hospital and Steve read it. The doctor diagnosis is not conclusive but he wants to do future testing because he suspects a malignant tumor. Of course the doctor did not tell the mother what he suspects and the mother is illiterate so she cannot read the chart. Yesterday they did blood work but since she has no health insurance the bill for the lab work has to be paid out of pocket. We renewed the child’s health insurance but it will not take effect for one month. Steve gave her the money to pay for the lab work and her transport back to Tamale. We are anxious to find out what the doctor says.
Divine came and picked up the veranda poles for the school kitchen. He brought the carpenter with him because he wanted him to see the pole shed we built to cover the generator. He wants to copy the design for the kitchen. While we were discussing the cost of the labor for the kitchen the sign painter came walking into the yard. He said he had some sad news. He said that his brother’s wife died yesterday and left a set of twins. The twins are 1 week old. He did not have the babies with him but we gave him a couple cans of formula; he will bring the babies to the Center tomorrow so we can weigh them and fill out the charts for them. Steve also sent some sympathy money to the family.
Well, now that everyone is completely depressed I will close the notes for the day. Please keep the family and the children we mentioned in your prayers.
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
