It was a community effort in Haiti to help put all of the pieces in place for Dieulnson, baby D, who first came to see our LEAP team in November 2015 when he was only a month old. Baby D was too young for surgery to repair his bilateral cleft lip then, and he also had low weight gain with concerns over his iron levels and other minor issues. We encouraged his mom and those helping at a clinic near their home to work on his nutrition, so D would be healthy enough for surgery when the LEAP team returned on our current mission trip.
In the interim, LEAP stayed updated on D’s progress with the clinic, who consulted with us whenever he seemed to stop gaining weight; later, it was discovered that he had an infection requiring antibiotics. Also, one of LEAP’s seasoned nurse practitioners spent time crafting a feeding plan for little D, so that he could gain weight and become healthy.
As LEAP moved closer to our mission trip departure, we were put in contact with a local missionary named Kim who recently moved to Haiti to work with ServeHaiti, an organization that was also helping baby D. Last year, Kim retired from a high level corporate job and felt that God was leading her to Haiti to serve the children in need.
When the LEAP team arrived for patient evaluations, Kim and baby D’s parents were at the hospital after traveling several hours on difficult roads. Everyone was thrilled once our LEAP physicians cleared D for surgery! We are happy to report that D was the first plastic surgery patient on Friday morning. He is doing well, and his parents are overjoyed.
Sometimes it takes a village, a coordinated effort of loving servants to help our beautiful children receive the surgical care they need. LEAP is blessed to work with such caring humanitarians so children can lead happier, healthier and more productive lives.