Rescue a Malnourished Child in Guatemala

In June 2021 we received the great news that María del Carmen, one of our baby-patients in Casa Jackson, was finally ready to go home. She had been in Casa Jackson for 3 months and 9 days and had gained 4 lbs. 15 oz. (2.2kg) which was 40% of her initial weight. The Casa Jackson staff and volunteers were delighted at the progress María had made and were extremely confident that María had turned a corner.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of October, we received some sad news. Just four months after leaving Casa Jackson, María was malnourished again. Not only that, but she was also suffering from a number of infections and rashes due to the conditions in which she was living. The lady who was supporting the family, Susan, was very worried and contacted us to see if María could come back to Casa Jackson along with her older sister, Estelita, who had also been a Casa Jackson baby-patient in 2018.

When María and her sister came to Casa Jackson for a check-up they arrived in bad shape. Both were extremely dirty and had a number of rashes, insect bites and an infection in their eyes. Before they could be weighed and measured, they both needed to have a bath to clean them up. They were also severely malnourished based on clinical signs, meaning that their weight to height ratio was acceptable but that they showed physical signs of malnutrition. They were both put on a special diet and given antibiotics so they could once again begin on the road to recovery.

In the month that the girls have been at Casa Jackson they have both gained weight. Estelita has gained 11 oz. (0.3kg) and María has gained 1 lb. 12 oz. (0.8kg). They are both looking much healthier and no longer showing signs of malnutrition. María is still taking antibiotics for her eyes, which are taking a little while to get better, but Estelita is much better now.

We want to make sure that this improvement is long lasting, however, as this is Estelita’s and María’s second time in Casa Jackson. Their older brother, Valerio, has also been a patient in Casa Jackson before. Our Padrinos department decided to make the hour-long trip to visit the family to see what the best way to support this family was. They discussed with Susan and the family and are now in the process of finding the family a new house which will not have a dirt floor and will give the girls somewhere dignified to stay. They also had discussions with a pastor in the local area who wanted to help the girls’ father to find a secure job to be able to provide for the family. We are hopeful that we can implement these changes before the girls leave so that they will no longer be at risk of returning to Casa Jackson for a third time.

If you have visited Casa Jackson in the past year and a half or have interacted with our social media page, then you will have met our longest-serving patient in Casa Jackson, Angel.

Angel arrived at Casa Jackson in February 2020 after being referred by the PGN (Guatemalan Social Services). His mother had abandoned him as he was too much of a burden for her to look after. Angel was aged around 6 and was unable to walk or talk. Since then Angel has spent over 500 days in Casa Jackson and the progress he has made has been astounding.

When he arrived, the prognosis for Angel was not good. It was doubtful that he would ever be able to walk or talk. He was also unable to focus his eyes. However, after sessions with our staff and volunteers Angel is now not only able to walk completely independently but can also say a number of key phrases to let staff know of his needs. He is also able to communicate non-verbally through actions and symbols to get his point across. Angel eats and dresses himself independently as well.

On top of that Angel has also gained a significant amount of weight since arriving at Casa Jackson. At the most recent weigh-in Angel had gained 16 lbs. 3 oz. or 66% of his initial weight.

So why is Angel still at Casa Jackson? He is actually no longer malnourished and has not been since around April 2020 but has not been able to leave. This is because due to COVID-19 Angel seems to have fallen through the cracks of the Guatemalan Social Services. He was required to go to a children’s home but that home needs to be able to match his needs and provide him with further speech and physical therapy and, as of yet, that has not been possible.

This story may well have a happy ending, however. Angel has an upcoming hearing to attend with the goal of finding him an adoptive family to live with. It seems that there is already a family lined up to take Angel and we just have to wait and see if they are suitable. It is no less than Angel deserves, as he is a wonderful child who brightens up everyone in Casa Jackson’s days.

When the time comes for Angel to join his new family it will be hard to adjust. Many staff members and volunteers alike have become extremely fond of Angel and how he is part of the furniture at Casa Jackson. It will definitely be strange to walk into Casa Jackson and not hear Angel’s voice shouting ‘hola’ to you, pointing to the nurses to show who has arrived. Nevertheless, everything we do at Casa Jackson is for the benefit of our patients and the time has come for Angel to start a new life with a loving family. We can’t wait for Angel to finally get what he has always deserved.