Cheri Kay in Haiti....where my life became meaningful.

A while ago, I introduced you to a little girl that I have the pleasure of doing physical therapy with! She is a sweetheart and such a hard worker. Her name is Ashley and she is almost 5 years old. She has Cerebral Palsy which affects her ability to use her arms and her legs efficiently. She also has poor trunk control which makes balancing quite difficult for her. She has been working very hard on her sitting balance and her control of her hands and arms. When we first started, she had a very difficult time picking up anything, holding anything, or manipulating any object. Now, she is able to pick up blocks and put them in a container with each hand. She still needs some minor postural cues from me, but her control has improved greatly! Just last week, I received in the mail a clear plastic device that goes around her hand to help her hold crayons, spoons, or any other "tool". So, I asked her caregiver if she feeds herself, and she says not by herself and not with...

Well, there have been some changes that have happened in our lives here in Haiti in the last week. All of which are good!!!!! Well, except that we haven't moved forward in the adoption world! Anyway, the local American Christian school here in Port au Prince, Quisqueya Christian School, needed a school nurse. With my athletic training background and the experience that I have had with local medical clinics and my specialty in pediatrics, I kinda fit the bill! So, they offered me a position as the school nurse and I accepted! I will be working at Quisqueya for a small subsidy that will help support us while we stay here in Haiti. It is fun for me because I do get to use my skills on a more consistent basis. I will continue to see my other therapy kids on the weekends. The other cool part about taking this job is that Ecrissa is getting the opportunity to "audit" Pre -Kindergarten. This school is definitely not a school for children with special needs, but they are wil...

It has been a while now, but I had introduced you to Emmanuel as one of the children that I see here in Haiti. I have known this little guy for a year and a half now and he has been fairly consistent in receiving therapy from me. He has bilateral clubbed feet and we at one time were hoping to get a medical visa for him to go to the States for surgery. The initial attempt at that fell through because of the inability of the group that would sponsor his trip to find a hospital to donate the services. There is another group looking into helping him right now, so will you please pray with me for a successful attempt this time!? Anyway, I had mentioned that I would like to obtain a walker for him to learn to "ambulate" with. Well, we got one!!! He has been using it now in therapy for about 3 weeks. He is doing a pretty good job. Emmanuel is almost 7 and has never had the opportunity to move in the upright position so his trunk and upper body strength is pretty weak and th...

Little Miss Ecrissa is always wanting me to put jewelry on her when I put mine on. Rings, necklaces, watches, bracelets, and even earrings! She also wants me to put my make-up on her too! She is a typical little girl that loves to get dolled up and look at herself in the mirror and then tell mommy how beautiful that little girl is! Of course, I always agree!!!!!! So, today I took my little girl into the pediatricians office in Petion -ville and got her ears pierced. I felt really bad because I had no idea how to warn my baby that this was going to hurt. I do not have the signs for those words yet, and she doesn't know those signs either. So, the first one was pretty easy to set up for and do, cause she wasn't expecting pain at all! You should have seen the look of horror on her face when she felt that horrible pain though! Tears immediately began streaming down her face and she was so angry with me!!! I had to give a little giggle and hug her, then show her the beautiful earr...

A while ago, I told you about a young boy by the name of Benjamin. He has CP and is very limited in his movements. I have been working with him now for about 8 months and he has made some nice progress. He is sitting by himself much better and is reaching for toys with his right hand much more often. It is fun to see some progress. Well, last week I had an idea. I decided that since he is often placed in his wheelchair with nothing to do but watch TV or stare at the wall, I wanted to change that! So, I asked his care taker if she had a table that she didn't mind me altering for Benjamin. She said sure and she gave me the family card table. I then began gathering toys around the house and books and such that my kids didn't use anymore, some donated toys and materials and I bought some really good glue (contact cement). Then, visitor and I got to work. We put together an activity table with books, sensory patches, and toys tied to strings so they wouldn't get thrown off of th...

This is JB playing the guitar and worshiping with us while playing the guitar and singing in English and Haitian Kreyol. It was alot of fun and Ecrissa enjoyed touching the guitar while he played. Ecrissa is deaf and feeling the vibrations of the guitar was fun for her. The look of excitement and wonder on her face was so fun to watch! It is interesting to me to watch her as she develops. In so many ways she develops just like another child, but in some ways because of the loss of her hearing sense, she is so different. I wonder often how she is thinking and what she is thinking about. I watch her as she tries to communicate by moving her mouth as if she's talking, but no sound is coming from her. She is using more signs and communicating much better with sign language as well and it is fun to watch her as she learns and grows. I am thankful for times like these that she has the opportunity to