Where did the month of September go? All of a sudden it’s October and we haven’t told the stories of last month! It was our biggest birthday month ever- for children, mothers and staff. Almost every lunch concluded with birthday cake. One mother who takes three buses to bring her two year old son Osvaldo to Santo Niño was crestfallen when Siba suggested that instead of a birthday cake to take home maybe it would be better to bring cookies or another more portable dessert treat. “But he loves chocolate cake!” she insisted. Chocolate cake it was!
Brian went back to school this fall. He’s repeating first grade again having missed so many days on his previous attempts. He comes to the clinic on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to take a bath in the Jacuzzi and put on fresh uniform clothes before going to school at 1:30. Do you remember the Peanuts character Pigpen? That is Brian most days upon arrival- but he sure cleans up good! Because of spina bifeda he is unable to control his bowel and bladder so each day he leaves the clinic with a supply of “pull-ups” disposable diapers and baby wipes to put in his school backpack. Hopefully this will help to keep him in school this year.
Boris, our handyman, has done a marvelous job landscaping the clinic backyard. He has planted trees and all kinds of garden vegetables and herbs that drink up the copious amounts of water that drain from the Jacuzzi. With Brother Jim’s help he brought a truckload of crushed pecan shells to create a walkway through the clinic “gardens”. At lunchtime last week Boris offered everyone a taste of our first harvest: cherry tomatoes! Still to come are chiles, bell peppers, and maybe even a basil pesto…
A donation of brand new tee shirts from last year’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was a big hit with our clinic moms. Now in addition to advertising Seton High School in Cincinnati we are doing our part to promote breast cancer awareness in Anapra- even if it is in English!
Sister Janet returned to the clinic after an almost six month absence. What a joyful reunion that was! Leslie and Alejandra, ages 4 and 5, were quite intrigued with her missing eyebrows and variety of head-coverings. When sitting on her lap to read there are frequent pauses to check under the cap “to see if the hair is growing”! Janet is able to come most Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays now. Thanks for all the prayers and keep up the good work!