"Baby Hope" found on ravine
This is now an old article (from mid last year) but explains the background of “Baby Hope”.
“Last week Pierre, our Pastor/Manager fell and broke his ankle. The first reports we had were that he fell off the roof and broke his leg. We learned on Monday that he has broken his foot in three places. Pierre had surgery yesterday evening and has a cast up to his knee. He has been in a lot of pain as the first round of doctors tried to reset his ankle without any anesthesia. He is resting now and is much more comfortable.
Pierre had been helping the orphanage mechanic with guiding the water truck in where there was a commotion on the street outside the orphanage. It seems a woman with a small baby has asked a stranger to hold the baby while she went to the rest room. She disappeared and never returned. The woman that was left holding the baby said she had no way to care for the child and left her on a garbage ravine.
There were people on the street yelling for Pierre that he needed to come get the baby or she would not survive. Pierre was rushing while he was on the ladder and lost his footing and fell. Another staff person went and got the baby. The baby is a little girl and appears to be about 4 months old. The first photos of her show how malnourished she is. She is skin and bone, with every rib from the front and back showing. Her eyes are vacant and she doesn’t cry. She has a face like a doll with eyes that appear as empty.
We have named the little baby girl, Hope. She is currently in the hospital awaiting a blood transfusion and is on oxygen. We don’t have a diagnosis, but know she is stabilizing.
When we were able to reach Haiti for the three minutes we were granted today to see how the baby was doing, we told the staff that in the US, we have named the baby “Hope”. There was a collective “ahhhh”, followed by a knowing, somber, “Ahh, that is a good name for her.”
Hope needs just that: a future and a hope. She needs prayer. She needs a fighting chance. We are trying to set up a fund for her to cover her medical costs while the orphanage awaits lab tests and a diagnosis. The birth father was found through the General Hospital records and it appears, at this time, that the mother has been reported as deceased.
Hope’s fighting chance is in Christ. The orphanage, should she survive the illness she is fighting, is a refuge for her where she will be loved, fed and given clean water that escapes so many of the people of Haiti.”
“Baby Hope” is now doing fine and growing very well. She has a lovely smile and brings much joy to the orphanage. She has an adoptive family waiting for her. Baby Hope’s story is sadly a common one in Haiti. www.forhisgloryoutreach.org