Updates

Just to update cases that we've discussed on the blog: first the happy news. Alexandre finally had his ultrasound done yesterday and as it turns out he will be fine! He has a small hole is his heart but it is expected to heal naturally. As it turns out his bad state last week could be blamed on bronchitis, worsened by his heart condition. Having said that, he is still tiny for a 2 month old, his mother is still ill and the family still has barely enough money to feed themselves.

I went to visit Koffi again this morning, his condition has worsened. He had a drain put in last Thursday, two small plastic tubes akwardly sticking out near the bridge of his nose, taped down with a large white plaster. I worry about infection. He is still on the same medications as before, but they don't seem to make a difference. He has lost consciousness 3 times in the last 24 hours alone. These episodes are characterised by shaking, jerky movements and screaming. I wonder why they can't figure out what is wrong with him. Tomorrow morning a team will be sent to the hospital to discuss his case with him and his doctor, hope I can join them. As I am leaving his house Koffi is clearly in pain, despair in his eyes. The joyous laughter of always happy baby brother Emmanuel doesn't even result in a hint of a smile. I note that the "dieu n'oublie personne" sign near their house has disappeared. Dispair? Disappointment? Defeat?

Sadness sweeps over me this afternoon. Koffi's situation that isn't resolving. Emmanuel's future, already tainted by the looming arrival of the need for anti-retrovirals, eventually AIDS. What will become of these children? What will become of the smiling happy little three year old I have come to know and love? Furthermore, it is not just them. They are providing faces to the grim statistics of Togo. The grim statistics of children in developing countries worldwide.