Hello friends and happy belated mother’s day to those who celebrate.
You hear from us every week and in case you’re sick of us (impossible, right?) we thought we’d do something a little different.
This week, we’re passing the reins to Linda, a recent graduate of the Second Mile Haiti Malnutrition Treatment Program.
Linda is a 39-year-old mother to five. Linda means beautiful and she chose an equally beautiful name for her 5th child. Malaika means “Angel.”
The pair spent 10 weeks in our semi-residential center, returning home on weekends. And 2 weeks in the hospital for intensive care.
Second Mile staff had nothing but wonderful things to say about Linda. Kind, generous, helpful, warm, wise, and encouraging. Linda was a leader.
The fact that she spent 2 weeks at the hospital and other 10 at the center, might have been discouraging for some mothers. But Linda took this in stride. Other caregivers referred to her as “the original mother” since she was already well established at the center when most of them arrived.
But she laughed off their jokes, pointing out that her daughter had much farther to go. Plus, the other mothers made these jests with love. After all, Linda had been there to coach and comfort most of them when they first arrived.
If a mother was especially disheartened or scared for her child, Linda asked the nurses to show them a picture of Malaika “before.”
She wanted them to see what was possible.
Here’s what Linda had to say about her experience.
How did Second Mile Haiti help you?
“Second Mile gave me so much support with my daughter. She was seriously ill when we arrived. She is fully recovered now. We received support of every kind. Medicine, care at the hospital, education...
I don’t know that she would be here today if I didn’t find Second Mile Haiti”
What changes have you noticed in your daughter over the past few weeks?
“She loves to eat now. Her sickness improved. She had no appetite when we arrived. She was always crying. Her little body was wasting away. Now she has so much energy to play! She’s smiles at everyone!”
What about you, have you noticed any changes within yourself?
“I feel great! When I arrived I was in a really bad place. It was so hard to see my daughter in the condition she was in when we first arrived. But with all of the changes that have taken place, I feel so joyful. I’m so happy. ”
Above: Linda wears a headband she made during a sewing class at Second Mile. She holds some of her art pieces from “Art Therapy,” Second Mile’s newest activity to help caregivers process trauma
What’s next for you?
“There were a lot of things I didn’t know how to do before. There are certain things I plan to do differently now that I know more. I have more knowledge about how to keep my family healthy.
My business as a vendor in my local market went under when Malaika became sick, but with Second Mile’s help I will rebuild. I feel great and I’m looking forward to resuming my work as a market vendor while I continue to care for my children.”
“To everyone who made this possible, I’d like to say thank you for the support you gave my family.”
-Linda Ambroise, mom to Malaika
