Amazing Women

Monday, August 26

I think you would understand if I said I am happy to say that there is not much to report from today.  The pediatric ward only has four patients. This fact causes all the Malawians to giggle in morning report.  There are whispers that the Malaria season is coming, but for today we will smile and enjoy.

The child with diabetes was smiling and waving this morning.  We still have many days of attempting to get his blood sugar under control.  The diet here is almost all carbohydrates, insulin is expensive, he will not go home with a glucometer short of a miracle, and the forms of insulin can be confusing and there are no combined products here.  So, he will need to go home on just one type of insultin and it is proving to be a large challenge. Additionally, the nursing staff has even giving the wrong type over the last 24 hours.

The low numbers have allowed me to help more with rounding in the NICU.  I wish I could send more pictures of these tiny patients, but I want to always be respectful to the nurses and patients and it isn’t really a great place to be asking to take a few pics.  I had told several of you when I left that I was concerned that in this culture people do not hug and that I would miss that. I had proposed that I could just snuggle babies if needed. I am sad to report that I did not think that through.  These little ones are not exactly scrubbed up like in the states and nobody’s head is smelling of Johnson and Johnson’s.

I did also have the time to do some teaching and reading with the students today and it seemed to be well received.  For some of them, it is the first time around newborns so even those normal daily things are fascinating. My walk home is notable as well.  Today, it was battling goats to get through the gate and everyday it is fun to see what the kids in the yard are up to.

Given that there is not much to report, I want to give you a little more info about two of the women I mention a lot.  Amelia and Melissa are the two adoptive moms living in the same guesthouse as I am. Amelia and her husband, Jeff, are from Atlanta and have three children and are adopting a brother and sister.  The whole family was here for a while and now Amelia has been here with the adopted kids for a few months. They are awaiting their interview with the consular to get visas for the kids. Melissa and her husband, Jeff, are from Orange County, California and have two kids and are adopting twin girls.  Their case is in adjudication which is a little confusing to me, but the consular and USCIS are doing further examination of the case and so visas are pending until approve. She has been here 6 months!!!!!!! Truly, for both of these moms, these kids are theirs per Malawi, but our government agencies are dragging their feet in granting visas for these kids to go to the US. They are stuck and certainly can’t leave their newly adopted children.  With kids at home, threats of demonstrations, and no end in sight, you can imagine how these ladies are feeling.

But these amazing women are troopers and loving on these kiddos!  Today, they had one of the older girls help teach them how to use the chitenge to put a child on their back.  It was entertaining for all of us and may be a great way to help get kids through the airport, hopefully soon.  Please pray for these sweet mommas and take it one step further to help. Go to tinyurl.com/SmithFamilyEmail and it will give you a form letter to complete and email addresses of USCIS workers that can help move things along.  We want these families forever together!