A few very urgent prayer requests

Well, if you've been reading my blog, you know about Wesley (11 months) and his new heart problem.  We go back tomorrow for a full diagnosis after an Ultrasound of his heart by a cardiologist.  Please pray for discernment, for health, and that the hole closes on it's on without sideeffects in the mean time so he won't have to have heart surgery.

You will also know about Fernanda (15 months), who's slowly getting stronger and more interactive (and by that I mean she only turns her head if you are talking to her, or weakly and slightly moves her hands to you when you tell her it's time to go or do something)....she still cannot push up from laying to sitting, does not talk or play with toys, and does not crawl or stand.  She's starting a bland breakfast cereal tomorrow so that's progress.  She started with high fevers today.  All of our bercario tots have been really sick the past 2 wks so pray she is not coming down with the funk as her little body cannot handle any kind of infection.  Also, her skin all over is shedding like a snake skin.  I'm not kidding.  It's good, but slightly painful.  Pray for healing and strength and that she will know, feel, and respond to LOVE.

Thanks for praying for Alberto in the Bercario (little 5 month old with RSV).  He's getting much better but still not out of the woods and requiring nebulizers and chest physiotherapy (beating all over his chest for 5-10 minutes) 3x/day to help liquify and remove all those secretions.  Continue praying.

Next urgent ones....these are NEW REQUESTS:

Cleita has been sick since the 25th of Feb.  It has been one thing after another.  She just made 9 months last week.  I think she's only had 24 hours of no sickness since then.  First it was fevers, then it was high fevers and flu-like cold stuff, then it was a stomach bug, and now it's malaria.  Malaria is always serious but especially in children under 5....even more so with a child under one.  She is really dehydrated and we are trying to catch up on her fluids, but of course, the nature of the beast, she keeps losing them.  She started on some strong anti-malarials today.  She was pretty frail all day today and the tias are feeding her and giving her a rehydration fluid every 1.5 hrs.  Combined with Fernanda and Alberto and the other mischevious toddlers......they have their hands full.  The good news is I think we caught it early (she had her 2nd negative malaria test on monday and tested positive this afternoon).  The other good news is she has the rare, but mild type of malaria.  Please pray for restoration of health, removal of all the parasites from her bloodstream and organs, rehydration, strength, and recovery of her immune system after.

Last but most importantly and urgently.....Naftal....he is not a child that I look after medically but he is seriously ill and needs as much prayer as we can give him.  He is a little kid around 6 years old that hasn't been at the center very long at all (maybe 2 months).  About 2 weeks ago he started complaining of symptoms that mimicked malaria.  He was treated.  A week later he was still complaining of symptoms and when the nurses saw him he was very jaundiced (yellow), his belly was giant and tight, his hands and feet and legs and face were all swollen.  He was rushed to the hospital where he has been for the last 10 days.  At first they thought he had hepatitis or other form of liver failure.....but now they've diagnosed him with a childhood form of cancer on his right kidney called Wilm's tumor.  He is having surgery this Monday to remove it and then will begin chemotherapy.  This is a huge thing for any child to go through in the Western world where we have amazing technology, good monitoring, wonderful doctors, nurses, and support staff, and cutting edge medicines.  Little Neftal is in a very infectious environment with medicine from 50 years ago, staff who are less than brilliant to look after him (most is done by the tia staying with him that is not related to him and is not in anyway medical), and little to NO monitoring with labs or machines or vital signs, and to top it off a heart valve problem which will complicate his surgery and anesthesia during.  Please lift little Neftal up and the tias caring for him in hosptial.  Pray for his older brother that also lives in the center and has only been able to visit him once since he left.  Pray for his father who loves him very very much, visits him each and every day, and calls the tia in the morning and night every day to pray with them and for Neftal.  Pray for healing, strength, wisdom for the doctors, nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists, a successful surgery, a quick recovery, and toleration of the chemotherapy.  I will try to keep you updated on all of these prayer requests!  Thanks for joining with us.