Short and sweet – Baby Shirley needs surgery urgently

I spent the last five days in Yiwu, China with Jamie and Cameron Klee.  Our goal?  To set up a reliable supply chain for the “pieces and parts” that go in to the jewelry that the Khutsala Artisans women make to help us fund the El Roi home for abandoned babies.  Our method?  Scour the 20,000+ stall indoor “market” with a local Chinese/Taiwanese company, whom I have known for years, purchase pieces by the thousands, and try to endure through the pollution, smoke, human waste and black mold.  Headaches and sinus congestion aside, it was an awesome week.

Jamie and Cameron Klee with our hostess, Angel. 

Pick a chain, any chain ... then pick your coating. 

Now, on to critical business.  If you don’t know Baby Shirley’s story, please take a moment and go back to my blog from October 25^th and get the full story -  http://janinemaxwell.blogspot.tw/2014/10/do-we-have-to-say-no-to-more-babies.html.

Shirley - 6 weeks after being in a government hospital.

While I was in China I got a message from our amazing team in Swaziland saying that Baby Shirley was really struggling to breathe and her weight was going down.  A feeding tube would be easy (thanks to Brooke and Maria), but the breathing was a problem. She was admitted to the local private hospital (who has had three of our babies with a seriously infections viral infection for the past many weeks!) and we learned that she had a sinus infection (caused by her nasal malformation from the burn) that got in to her bloodstream (sepsis).  It is a miracle that she was taken in and treated the day that she was. 

The next part of the message to me read, “The bad news is that her nasal malformation is more severe and more urgent than we realized. The ENT who saw her said that she needs to see a maxillofacial specialist asap. Unfortunately, there are none in Swaziland, so she'd have to go to South Africa.  This will be another BIG cost.”

 

This sweet little finger needs to be amputated

Taking a child out of Swaziland, even for emergency health care, is no easy feat.  With the proactive commitment of the Swaziland and South Africa governments to reduce/eliminate Child Sex Trafficking it takes an act of God to be able to move a child across an international border.  In addition, we would need to send a driver and an Auntie for an extended stay in SA to care for this baby while she gets care – possibly months?

I don’t know what God has planned for this little one, but if HE wants her to have surgery, then HE will need to act. I do believe that if she were still in prison with her mother, that she would not survive very long.  I pray that she has a long, healthy and productive life with us!

That is all the news I have today, but I ask for your prayers for this little one, for the people who are caring for her and clear direction for us on how we are to proceed.

If you would like to contribute to Baby Shirley’s care (currently $300 US/day at the private hospital) we welcome your gift.

In the US click here.

In Canada click here.

Live from Taiwan … I am taking the weekend off with Chloe!

Janine