Hello and welcome to the first Sixty Seconds of 2023!
How are you? Are you enjoying a slow and easy start to the new year? It is our sincere hope that you are.
In some ways, our year in Haiti is off to a slow and easy start too. In other ways, not so much.
It’s only mid-way through January and already, 39 babies have been born between the two centers!
Our slow(er) start to the New Year happened over at the Malnutrition Centers.
Over the holidays, both Malnutrition Treatment Centers were closed for two weeks to give the team some much needed time-off.
Monday was everyone’s first day back on campus.
The team returned refreshed and excited to see the 41 families we had been supporting from afar during this break.
There was, however, one family who didn’t leave the center over the holidays.
One baby girl, 15-months-old, stayed behind with her mother for round-the-clock care.
When Rose Berline and her mother Vadeline first arrived at our Malnutrition Treatment Center in Saint-Raphaël—which opened in May 2022—the 15-month-old tipped the scale—just barely—at 12 lbs 2 oz.
There’s a misconception that malnutrition can be treated with food alone—
and that every child who appears undernourished, appears that way because they aren’t getting enough to eat.
If that’s what you thought too, you’re not alone.
Rose Berline had the classic look of any child in an ad about hunger. She had sunken eyes (from dehydration), thinning hair (from nutrient deficiency), toothpick-thin limbs, and a swollen belly.
When she arrived at our center, she had a fever, diarrhea, and no appetite—all common in a child with severe undernutrition.
But Rose Berline didn’t improve with calories, multivitamins, or a round of antibiotics.
During her first several weeks at our Center, Rose Berline and her mother made numerous trips to the region’s “reference” hospital—always accompanied by a nurse from our team.
The doctors there were able to rule out most of the basic illnesses commonly present with severe malnutrition: pneumonia, HIV, tuberculosis, ear infections, UTIs, heart defects, and infections of the GI tract…
She didn’t have any of these.
And so, she was referred for a CT scan.
We had to make some calls to find out which, if any, health centers in Haiti were currently able to perform a CT scan
Three centers. That’s what we learned. The first CT scanner was out of order. Getting to the second would have required traveling through a gang-controlled region.
And the third?
Mercifully, the third center was less than 30 minutes from us, right here in Northern Haiti!
It had only opened within the year.
We got the scan and took the results back to the pediatricians who had requested them.
What they saw furthered their suspicion that Rose Berline may be suffering from cancer.
Lymphoma.
This was a first. Previously, there simply weren’t enough testing options available in Haiti to get close to a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Once again, we knew that only a handful of places in Haiti would be able to diagnose and care for a child with cancer. But then, we got in touch with C3G, a cancer clinic that had recently opened just a few miles away.
During the two-week holiday break, Rose Berline went to and from our campus, the Cancer Center, and various laboratories around town.
She had her blood tested.
She had her bone marrow tested.
She had her spinal fluid tested.
She had her lymphatic system evaluated.
At each appointment she was accompanied by her mother and Djena, a nurse from our center who helps parents navigate health centers.
To parents, she’s an angel.
And the cost?
The tests, the CT scan, the appointment fees, and an upcoming biopsy, cost a total of $680 USD.
Djena isn’t the only one working hard for Rose Berline to survive.
From their homes and offices, at least 10 Second Mile staff members are communicating about the logistics of her care—night and day.
She’s not the only child being discussed in those chats.
There are 41 children currently enrolled in one of our two Malnutrition Treatment Centers.
At least a quarter of these children have some underlying health condition. And before those 41 children, there were hundreds of others.
Today, we still see more than 850 former graduates.
They are healthy and thriving with their families.
We recognize that every child’s journey is not the same.
Sometimes the underlying cause of undernutrition is a lack of food. Sometimes—not always—this is related to barriers around income and education.
But other times, it’s actually a terrible cancer of the lymphatic system.
But always, it’s about more than just food.
On Monday, Rose Berline will have a biopsy.
We cannot stress enough what a big deal it is to be able to take these next steps. Especially when tests like these weren’t even available in our area just a few years ago.
Rose Berline’s prognosis may be unknown at this time, but if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s this:
It means everything to her family to have you invested in her care.
Today, we have a need.
Can you join us in caring for Rose Berline and others like her?
If you already give monthly, thank you!
If you don’t,
would you consider starting a monthly donation today?
The cost for a family to stay at our Center, to receive medical care, education, and start a business is $1,608.
That’s 2 people giving $67/month.
4 people giving $33/month.
Or 1 person giving $134/month to meet one family’s needs—entirely.
It’s easy to set up a recurring donation using our secure donation page.
Simply click the link ,
add the amount you want to give,
and select the box marked “make this a monthly donation.”
Like a subscription, you don’t have to give it another thought!
Your monthly contributions will keep working on your behalf to save life after life, one child at a time.
As always, we are beyond grateful that you continue to read these letters and we are fiercely grateful to those of you who give monthly.
Rose Berline wouldn’t be getting this care if it wasn’t for you.
More news, next week.
Until then,
❤️ from Haiti