Thursday, December 1, 2016

Mary and Melda

I only have a second because I'm headed back out but wanted to post a prayer request for sweet little Mary. She was born HIV positive so her parents abandoned her to her grandmother, Melda, when she was still pretty young. A few weeks back she started developing symptoms and Joint clinic diagnosed her with malaria and sent her home. Yesterday, members from my church asked for help as she had gotten much worse. She is now unable to sit, even swallow and has pain everywhere. She was having severe, practically continuous muscle spasms. Tetanus.  I rushed her into the hospital here in town and we started as much supportive therapy as we have access to, but there is no treatment.
We have her as sedated as possible to reduce the spasms but we need her to keep breathing, which is a challenge. When she is awake she is perfectly aware of what is going on but is "locked in". She can't move, can't swallow, feels like she can't breath.
Yesterday, Melda asked the translator to ask me to please keep Mary alive as she is the only family she has left. Tetanus is often fatal here and they know it.  We need a miracle.