Over the next few days, Berhanu and I took the babies to different clinics and hospitals trying to get a handle on what was wrong with Juddah. He wasn't growing like his sister, and his head was misshaped. The first 3 doctors did all the usual tests... measured their heads, weighed them and checked their reflexes. They all were in agreement that the babies were fine, except for their small size. All agreed that if we could keep up their body temperature up, keep them on formula to help them gain weight and get them thru the rainy season, they would have a fighting chance. In my mothers heart, I knew something was just not right with Juddah. His head shape was not right. He had two bumps on each side of his head, across the top of his skull there was a bump front to back on his skull, and he had no soft spot. Finally at Korean hospital, the doctor shared his fears with us. He sent Juddah for an ultrasound of his head. The results came back... hydrocephalus. I took a deep breath and asked the doctor, 'so now what?' his reply was 'we do nothing'... what? my heart sank. What about a CT scan, I asked... he said yes we can send you for that, but there is not much we can do even with the results... I wanted the CT scan done, so he wrote us up a referral, and we headed to window #4 to pay, and then headed down to room #23, only to find out that their CT scanner was broken... hmmm. Went home and checked around as to where we could get a CT scan done. Mastee, my good friend and translator in Addis, was ready to help. His mother is a nurse, he called her and she gave us directions to a place to have it done. When we arrived, the waiting room was full and were told that it would be an all day wait. So we waited, only to get the results we didn't want to hear... confirmed hydrocephalus, brain atrophy, and fused sutures. With results in hand we headed back to the Korean hospital to meet again with the doctor. He gave us the grim news, that in Ethiopia they do nothing for this condition... they just don't treat it here. He continued, If we were in America, well that's another story, he would be admitted to a hospital, and receive the care he needed, but here in Ethiopia, we just sit back, there is nothing we can do! My mind began to spin! What? so you just let him... what? Die? Watch his brain slowly disappear? Watch his face become deformed as the days go by? Sit back and wonder if he is in pain?
But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish Psalm 9:18
Prayer Warriors needed
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