LOUISE

Meet Louise, a charming 6 and a half year old frequent visitor to our hospital.  She has Sickle Cell Anemia, and has to come by every month, for a long time, for pain relief and treatment for her condition.  She has insurance, but her father has left her mother (on left) because he does not want the pressure of caring for a chronically ill child any longer.  It is a lot to shoulder in this economy.  What you cannot see is that this mom has a young baby on her back, so she has two mouths to feed besides her own.  Louise is a joy, and so is her mother.  Seen in this picture is one of our Congolese doctors, Alex.  He personally paid for her bill last month, and has asked us if we would cover her bill in the next few months.  Of course, we said yes.  What else is there to do?  By American standards, her bill is quite minimal - just peanuts.  About $20 USD a month.   It is so sad to think a family has broken up because of this.  But what a privilege to be able to help just a bit so that Louise can keep receiving care.  

There are so many ways to help in this country.  If you ever read of a need on this blog that you want to cover, feel free to send money to us through the Samaritan's Purse link on the blog, and then message us or email us, telling us how you want us to spend your donation.  

Thank you.