Emma arrived at SCH in September looking like this:
No one was sure whether she would make it through the night. She had a host of disabilities including hydrocephaly, spina bifida, and club feet. She was sick with sepsis, tuberculosis, and meningitis. It was hard to hold her, as her head was so heavy and squishy with fluid. She needed shunt surgery, and many hospitals refused to work on her, saying there would be no point. She was vomiting often due to the pressure in her head. Her head circumference continued to grow.
In December, Emma was given shunt surgery to get rid of all the fluid in her head. She came out doing fairly well.
After CSF taps, being catheterized, being fed and loved on by her ayah, and being monitered closely at the hospital, Emma has started to turn around. After 5 months with SCH, Emma does not resemble the baby girl who was dying when she first arrived. Today, Emma was discharged from the hospital in Hyderabad and is going home to Ongole to live with a volunteer there who is caring for the most medically fragile kids. This is what she looked like today upon discharge:
When I asked Sarah what factors led to the transformatin she said, "It's due to so many different factors. She had klebsiella and candida sepsis, meningitis, tuberculosis...all treated, sludgy urine drained, CSF shunted, blood transfusions... I want to publicly thank Dr. CS Naidu and KIMS Hospital for taking a chance with this baby. Most of all, I want to thank the Lord Jesus and those who prayed for her. She really has a great chance now." Amazing donors have fully sponsored the costs of her care and hospital stays and surgeries.
I can't wait until I am back in India and can hold this miracle. She truly is just that. Emma was abandoned outside a hospital. Doctors refused to operate on her. So many were sure that she would die. But already in her short life she has inspired so many people. She has taught us about perserverence and the will to live. Sometimes people with special needs can be written off; they will never get better, focusing our energy on them is pointless. How can someone say this having seen Emma's transformation?
Emma is going to have a tough road ahead of her, but her life has so much value. Go to http://sarahscovenanthomes.blogspot.com and facebook.com/schindia to follow her journey.
Ayah Project:
While on the topic of SCH, please help us reach 70% of the Ayah Project!! Emma has come as far as she has with the help of her ayah, Manikyam, who is by her side, feeding her, cleaning her, kissing her, and caring for her. Right now there are so many children per ayah, that many kids are not able to get this 1:1 care that Emma has had. Many of the kids aren't able to meet their milestones without it. Help us raise the money to support two girls, April and Molly, to be supported by an ayah so they can thrive. Please spread the word and donate below! Click HERE to learn more.
2 comments:
Thank you so much for the update on Emma. What a fighter! Love to hear that she has received the treatment she needed and has the care of an Ayah.
I couldn't believe it when I saw that chunky little thigh that it was Emma. She has made incredible improvement with "non-conservative" medical care and a lot of love.
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