El Amor

So I am sitting in the pediatric room of the hospital right now, helping take care of one the children from the Children's Center, which is an extension of our hospital's ministry. His name is Orlin. A ten month old whose little life has experienced more complications and trials than most of us will experience in a lifetime. He has had to fight for his life from the day he was born, it seems. He came to the Children's Center about 3 months, weighing only 13 pounds. He had suffered abuse before coming to us, and acquired a skull fracture as well. On top of the neglect that he had received in his home life, he has cerebral palsy and other developmental delays.

In his first month at the Children's Center, Iain and Liz (the couple that started and runs the Children's Center) worked hard to get him up to a healthy weight. However he continually developed pneumonia. About 2 months ago he was admitted to our hospital because he had developed aspiration pneumonia, and was very critical for about a week. He ended up getting a gastric tube put in to help him with his nutrition, since every time he ate, he was breathing in some of the formula into his lungs, causing the pneumonia. He was in the hospital for several weeks after the surgery healing and slowly increasing the feeds, as he tolerated them. He stayed in the hospital until last Saturday. He was discharged because the hospital's only feeding pump broke, so all the feeds had to be done manually, which could be done at home. Only one minor problem: he gets formula every 90 minutes, and it has to go in over 20-25 minutes. On top of that he gets medications throughout the day, and breathing treatments every 4 hours. Talk about busy!

Iain and Liz have some of the biggest hearts I have ever seen. They take care of 18 children who have either been abandoned, maltreated, or have special needs. But they don't simply take care of these children, they love them. Love is sacrificial, and that is what they are for these children. In the 7 months that I have been I have seen them sacrifice sleep, comfort, time with family and so much more to make a way for these children.

Today Orlin is back in the hospital because he started to develop pneumonia again. He is doing better now. I am the lucky one that gets to watch this cute little fellow, while Iain and Liz take a much needed break for a few days.

Please keep Orlin, Iain and Liz, and the whole Children's Center in your prayers.