Sometimes More Than Sponsorship Is Needed to Save a Life

Two years ago, America, a sponsored child at Bienaventurados del Amor Child Development Center, battled with hemorrhagic dengue, a very serious illness that is fatal in some cases.

When she got sick, her mother took her to the hospital. There, America got only medicine for the fever and saline solution since her stomach and throat hurt. No tests or special exams were done.

America was not getting the attention she needed at the hospital, and her condition worsened, so her mother looked for an alternative medicine that someone told her about.

“It was expensive, but somehow I bought it.”

Wendy, America’s mom, stayed in bed every night with her daughter because the fever would not leave.

“I consider America a strong child, but in this occasion she was not responding well to the treatment at the hospital or at home. She just complained a lot about the pain in her body or lay unconscious and I was worried. Then, I called the child development center director and facilitator for help.”

America was immediately moved to a private hospital. This family of few resources could not have afforded to take the child to a private hospital. However, America was able to receive this benefit because her child development center submitted an emergency proposal through our Complementary Interventions Program, which took care of all her expenses.

At this hospital, they learned that different organs of America’s body had deteriorated and Wendy was asked to sign a form because there was almost nothing that could be done for her daughter.

“A doctor told me: your child has no opportunity, it depends only on God.”

Wendy is a single mother and America is her only child. As a mother, her heart was devastated, but she still signed the form.

At the intensive care unit, America’s health got worse. Her platelets went down and down. She had no strength in her body.

The normal quantity of platelets the human body has in the blood is between “150,000 and 400,000 per microliter (mcL).” Based on that fact, can someone live with only 9,000 platelets? The right answer in human power would be, no way!

Family, friends, church staff, children and our country office staff were all interceding for a miracle in America´s life. It was hard to believe something would change, but prayer was never stopped.

“America’s platelets were at 15,000 and the doctor said if her platelets went down to 10,000 there was no probability for her to live. Incredibly, the platelets decreased to 9,000 and my daughter is still here.”

The help America received went beyond what our Child Sponsorship Program delivers. She was able to get the immediate intervention she needed to save her life because of Complementary Interventions, a program that comes alongside our core programs to offer additional assistance.

Thank God, by the sixth day in the hospital, America’s platelets began to increase and America was feeling better. Doctors were amazed by her recovery, but her family was confident in God and He answered the prayers for America.

“When I was at the hospital, no one would tell me anything. My body just felt really bad, weak. My tummy hurt. I would be dead if I had not gotten quick help. I was helped a lot because if it wasn’t for our church I would not be here talking.”

Not many people think being sick is something nice. Surprisingly America said,

“It was an unpleasant and nice experience. Unpleasant because I didn’t like to be in the hospital or being sick. Nobody likes being sick! But it was nice because I got help and I was able to be ok.”

“America is a very intelligent child. She was able to read at the age of four. At only 11 years old she is in her first year of high school and doing good with grades. America was raised in church, so everyone knows her and were very concerned for her health when she was sick,” says Robertina, the child development center secretary.

America enjoys playing all kind of games and reading story books and the Bible. She also wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up. “She liked the treatment she got from Dr. Sandra. America brought her an apple after leaving the hospital,” says her mom.

Once at home, America received special meals since her stomach was the most affected.

“When I share this experience, I get very emotional because I believe that God made the miracle. I know that the prayer of my church and other churches, the office staff and many other people was heard. I feel the Lord put His hand on my daughter to heal her,” says Wendy.

America was at the hospital for seven days. According to doctors, the fifth day of the hemorrhagic dengue is the worst, and everyone was waiting for that day to see what would happen. Prayer and immediate attention were crucial to save her life. Two years have passed and America still running, talking and smiling at life.

Bienaventurados del Amor Child Development Center is located in Ciudad Sandino, just twenty minutes away from the center of the city of Managua. There, as throughout Nicaragua, dengue rises during the rainy season, attacking mainly children.

The community has many homes with single mothers who have to find a way to sustain their children and themselves.