By Maya Brownstein | Community Giving
Thank you for continuing to support PIH’s University Hospital!
We’re pleased to share with you the following story from Haiti—about a child named Lovenyou (pictured above), who was treated for malnutrition with the help of PIH and University Hospital:
Lovenyou was diagnosed with severe malnutrition just past his first birthday, weighing 17 pounds—well below the normal growth curve for boys his age, according to the World Health Organization—and measuring a below-average 29 ½ inches.
His health declined rapidly. He spiked a fever, had diarrhea, wasn’t eating, and—scariest of all—kept losing consciousness. Panicked, his mother scrounged for the money to pay a driver to take her and Lovenyou to University Hospital in Mirebalais, a 30-minute motorcycle drive from their home.
PIH staff admitted Lovenyou immediately, hooked him up to an IV, and performed a battery of tests to ensure the toddler wasn’t suffering something in addition to starvation.
Tests showed nothing alarming, but did confirm he was dehydrated and in dire need of additional nutrients.
After eight days of care at University Hospital, Lovenyou was healthy enough to return home. His mother began taking him regularly to PIH’s malnutrition clinic in Boucan Carré, and he is well on his way to recovery.
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