The cooler weather is upon
us and the children have been sick. Brian came with a fever, sore
throat and stuffy nose. While the first thought is “this is
just a cold” we are of course concerned about the flu. We gave
him some over-the-counter medicine, a nice steamy bath followed by a
massage. Then we covered him up and let him sleep for two hours.
He felt some better but we recommended no school for another day or
so. Nena was also feverish and coughing, in addition to her chronic
runny nose. She fell asleep in Sister Janet’s arms and then
Boris carried her to one of the mats on the floor. Both of these
children have fairly sturdy bodies and their ability to fight off infections
is amazing.
Martin and Vanessa are
much more fragile. Both were kept home for several clinic sessions
due to cough and fever. They saw local health providers who started
antibiotics early in the course of their illnesses. But eventually
their mothers brought them to us for additional help. Martin has
severe spasticity from cerebral palsy. Even on a good day he suffers
from almost constant muscle contraction that arches his body into a
backward “C”. He lost several pounds in the course of this
illness. His mother Celia had searched several pharmacies trying
to find a piece of the machine she uses to give him breathing treatments
but with no success. Thankfully we had one in the clinic to give
to her but when at the end of the day she asked us, “How do you think
he looks?” we recommended that she take him to the hospital for further
evaluation and treatment. We are still waiting for word on his
condition.
Vanessa’s mother had
draped her over the exercise ball and was gently percussing her chest
as we had taught her long ago during another illness to loosen the lung
congestion. She seemed more comfortable and was able to eat some
of our pureed fruit without difficulty. Vanessa has weathered
numerous bouts of pneumonia, often due to the aspiration of food, and
we always worry when the cooler seasons bring the added risk of infections.
The mothers of these children suffer right along with them, as mothers have done throughout the ages. Watching each rise and fall of the chest, tensing with the spasms of back and limb, they call to mind Mary at the foot of the cross. May our Blessed Mother give them the strength they need to endure and to care for the children entrusted to them.