Bethena


Well, we are back from our weekend trip to Jacmel! We made it Friday night and picked up 2 year old Bethena from my friends. She is adorable! She does have severe Cerebral Palsy and functions physically like a 3-4 month old baby, but she she can light up a room with her smile and her little personality! All four of her limbs are involved and she has a whole lot of tone which makes her very very stiff and she is not yet rolling over. She is able to move her arms and legs a tiny bit. She stayed with us in the hotel Friday and Saturday night. She was a good little girl and slept well for us, for the most part.

I did some therapy with her to try to release some of her tone and she tolerated it very well. I called the orphanage that had initially said that they would take her as long as she did not have any complicated medical issues, and they told me that the Haitian Social Services (IBESR) showed up with another child and they therefore would no longer take this little girl. I was devastated. I didn't know what I was going to do, I couldn't just leave this sweet thing. So, I made some more calls, and one of my friends who has a rescue mission, where she keeps kids for short periods of times said that she would take her, but I would still need to find a permanent placement for the child. OK, that would work--for now anyway!
But, the story has a twist! My friends, Danny and Leann, have a friend who is a mechanic staying with them at their orphanage in Jacmel and he fell in LOVE with little Bethena. He was mortified that the placement wasn't permanent. He was sad that she had no place to go. He carried her around constantly, fed her, changed her and totally loved on her. So, about 2 hours before I was going to leave, I asked him if he was thinking about keeping her. He said "yes, I have been thinking about it". I told him that there was no pressure, but that I felt that he was the best one for her. After about an hour, he decided that he was going to keep her for a month. That would give us time to find a permanent placement for her. I was ecstatic! I knew that he was the right one for her at this time! So, I gave him the port a crib that I brought for her, all the diapers I had, the formula and the clothes that I had for her and taught him how to do some stretches for her and wished him luck! Especially since in the almost 48 hours that I had the child, there had been no poops, soooooooooo I am sure a big blowout poppy diaper is on it's way!!!!!
Anyway, I was thrilled that this little girl had a loving person to take care of her, at least for now! Please pray with me that we will be able to find a loving permanent placement for this adorable special needs child!




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