Physical Health Guatemala Project #7067

Rescue a Malnourished Child in Guatemala

by The GOD'S CHILD Project

Rescue a Malnourished Child in Guatemala

Project Report | Mar 16, 2023
The Fight Against Malnutrition

By Robbie Middleton | Padrinos & Becas Department

Casa Jackson, our Centre for Malnutrition Recuperation, is used to receiving severely malnourished babies and infants and nursing them back to health, but every once in a while we receive a case that shocks even us. That was the situation with María Cristina, who arrived at our door in desperate need of our support.

We first heard of Mariita, as we affectionately call her, near the end of 2022. A lady came to us after having visited a family member in the Antigua National Hospital. She had looked through an open door to see Mariita in her hospital bed and was immediately compelled to help her. She decided to come to us to see if we could help Mariita, having heard of our malnutrition programme in Casa Jackson. We attempted to visit Mariita in December but were denied access by the Hospital. Nevertheless, we got in touch with Mariita’s family and made them aware that we knew about their situation and were looking to help.

Mariita and her family are originally from Chicaman, in the department of Quiché to the north-west of Guatemala. Their first language is K’iche’, the most-spoken Mayan language in Guatemala. Whilst Mariita normally lives on the family farm with her mother and father, they have been renting a house in Mixco, near Guatemala City, with her sister and mother to be able to go to the various medical appointments that they have.

On the 15^th of February 2023 Mariita arrived at the Dreamer Centre to meet up with our social workers Robbie and Rodolfo and to have a check-up in Casa Jackson. She weighed around 37 lbs. which is the expected weight of a 4- to 5-year-old child. She needed a wheelchair to move around, as she was unable to move her legs and had limited movement in her arms, with almost no muscles on her bones. She had four large sores on her body from having spent so much time on hospital beds without moving. In one of the sores, she had suffered so much damage that her bone was protruding out. Despite these sores, Mariita claimed she felt no pain or discomfort.

The exact reason for Mariita’s condition is not currently known. It is more than just a nutrition issue, with the family able to buy and provide food for Mariita. Mariita first began to lose weight and her motor capacities around the age of 11. It has been suggested that it could be a result of Guillen-Barré, but nothing has ever been confirmed. What is certain, however, is that Mariita was been let down by public health services in Guatemala, who have left her to suffer without ever truly helping her.

After her check-up with our paediatrician in Casa Jackson and a meeting with Robbie, Rodolfo from the Sponsorship and Scholarship Programme who referred the case to National Director Fabiola Aguilar, the decision was made to refer Mariita to Hospital Universitario Esperanza in Guatemala City for emergency tests and treatment. The next day on the 16^th of February, Robbie and Rodolfo took Mariita to the Hospital, leaving in the early hours of the morning. There at the Hospital, Mariita went through various tests with different doctors and the decision was made that Mariita should stay there for a few days for further tests and to start the healing process on her sores.

Through discussions between Robbie, Rodolfo, Fabiola and Nuestros Ahijados Founder Patrick Atkinson, Nuestros Ahijados was able to provide the funds to pay the deposit for Mariita to stay at the Hospital, although a fundraising process was needed to cover the expenses as Mariita needed a lot of specialised support.

After 1 week in Hospital, Mariita was referred to Casa Jackson to continue the healing process. She is being kept separate from the other children as the bacteria in her sores could potentially be contagious and dangerous to the other children. She will remain at Casa Jackson gaining weight and curing her sores in preparation for potential surgery in the future. She will also receive physical therapy to work on gaining more strength and dexterity in her limbs. We are also looking to include Mariita in our education programme moving forward so she can continue to study. Before her condition worsened and she became unable to continue studying, Mariita reached 4^th grade at school.

Whilst she is currently receiving the support she needs, Mariita is by no means out of the woods yet. A volunteer doctor, Dr Dian, who spent time with her this past week commented that Mariita has many serious problems as a result of being abandoned for so many years and that she is still very much in danger. We are looking to support Mariita from her home moving forward as a result of our discussions with Dr Dian.

Despite all the hardships that she has gone through in her life, Mariita still manages to maintain a sunny disposition. She likes to smile and joke with the staff members and spend time outside in the sun. In her first week at Casa Jackson she gained 3 lbs. and her sores are already looking better. We are hopeful that she continues to make good progress.

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Nov 10, 2022
Repairing a Broken Heart

By Robbie Middleton | Padrinos Department

Casa Jackson does so much more than just help children to recover from malnutrition. When a child come to us we have a responsibility to them and their general wellbeing, and we do what we can to take care of them.

One such child who is currently a patient in Casa Jackson is 5-year-old María*. María arrived at Casa Jackson on the 2^nd of June along with her mother and younger sister. Both were severely malnourished, with María also showing signs of marasmus. So far, María has gained 4 lbs. 8 oz. or 15% of her initial weight.

María lives in San Juan Sacatepéquez with her mother, sister, grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Their house is made of cement blocks, wood and sheet metal. María, her mother and sister share a bed in the single room they have. It is filled with just a small wardrobe, with no other possessions. María’s father does not support the family, despite there being an order from the judge for him to do so.

During María’s time here we have tried to make her stay as enjoyable as possible. As she is currently our oldest Casa Jackson patient, we looked into ways to keep her occupied and interested. María has started attending our Clases de Reforzamiento in our Centro Soñador, working with our teachers to learn letters, numbers, colours and other useful skills to prepare her for next year when she will start at school.

Whilst her sister was able to go home after 1 month and 24 days, María’s needs are much more complex and she is still currently a patient, having been with us for 5 months and 12 days. After María was examined by our paediatricians we decided that it was necessary to do some further tests. We were able to diagnose María with Marfan Syndrome, something that affects between 1 in 5000 and 1 in 10,000 children. Marfan Syndrome affects connective tissue and those with the condition are generally taller and thinner. It can also cause complications and problems with vision and the cardiovascular system.

In María’s case, both her eyesight and her heart have complications that need intervention. Her eyesight is extremely poor and so we had to order and buy special glasses from Spain to match her prescription. María was delighted to receive her new glasses, having chosen the design and colour herself, and proudly shows them off to the new volunteers who arrive at Casa Jackson.

María’s heart also has complications. Our paediatricians are extremely worried that María could have an aortic aneurysm or aortic dissection in the future, something that could be fatal. We have investigated the possibility of heart surgery for María to prevent this from happening. Normally, doctors wait until children are 8 years old to perform the surgery, but our paediatricians and consulting doctors have told us that María’s need is a lot more urgent. If you would like to donate to potentially help María receive heart surgery in the future, please click the link below.

María is almost ready to go home with her family, but we will not stop supporting her. Our Padrinos department has already made the hour-long drive to visit María’s family and discuss plans for next year where we would like to see María enrolled in school. We have also set the groundwork for future medical interventions for when María needs an operation on her heart.

The GOD’S CHILD Project has been working for 30 years to break the chains of poverty through education, housing, nutrition and healthcare. Please click the link below to donate to support us in our ongoing mission.

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Jul 13, 2022
April

By Robbie Middleton | Padrinos Department

April has been with us in Casa Jackson for almost 4 months now with her mother, Natalie. She arrived in March 2022 moderately malnourished and in need of our support.

April lives in San Felipe de Jesús, not far from Casa Jackson, with her mother, uncle, aunt and grandparents. Their house is made of cement blocks and sheet metal with a sheet metal roof. It consists of a bedroom and a kitchen and the family has two beds between them, meaning that Avril shares with her mother and aunt. The family has a small tabletop stove but often has to use firewood to cook when they run out of gas.

The first month at Casa Jackson was very difficult for April as she adjusted to a healthy and nutritional diet. In fact, it took almost the whole month for April to gain any weight at all as her body became accustomed to healthier food. Once she had adjusted, however, April started to gain weight a lot faster and has now gained 2 lbs. 14 oz. which is a further 17% of her initial weight. She is now at a normal weight for her age and size and is almost ready to go home.

We have been so happy to see the progress that April has made at Casa Jackson, not only in her weight gain but also developmentally. April is starting to talk and is learning how to play and interact with other children. April is also very caring and empathetic, and often comforts other children with a hug when they are crying.

One of the reasons that April is still staying at Casa Jackson for a bit longer is because of her mother. April’s mother was actually known to the Project before April arrived at Casa Jackson, as she was previously one of our students in our Scheel Center (now Vista Hermosa Center) School. April’s father is not a part of her life and does not support her in any way and her mother does not currently work or study and so April’s grandfather was the one who supported the family. April’s mother wants to change this, however, and is looking to leave the house she is living in and to find herself a job to support April and herself. We are looking into the possibility of offering Natalie a job at Casa Jackson, where she feels comfortable and happy, so that we can continue to support her and April moving forward.

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