Physical Health Guatemala Project #7067

Rescue a Malnourished Child in Guatemala

by The GOD'S CHILD Project

Rescue a Malnourished Child in Guatemala

Project Report | Jun 6, 2012
Happy Birthday, Beto!

By Megan Kadrmas | Director of Benefactor Services

Beto's Birthday Party

On May 23, we celebrated the third birthday of a very special little boy nicknamed "Beto." Alberto came to us in March 2011 at 22 months old, weighing only 13 lbs. Not only did our sweet Beto survive, he has thrived with the medical care, love, and (LOTS OF) attention he has received throughout the past 15 months at Casa Jackson. We all had a wonderful time celebrating Alberto, and he had a wonderful time being the center of attention throughout his first ever birthday party.

We first introduced you to Beto last year, but his continued presence at Casa Jackson has truly made him part of our family. His parents, unable to care for him, stopped coming to visit Alberto many months ago and we've been looking for a permanent home for him since then.

Recently, a distant relative came to visit us after Alberto's mother reached out to her. Mayra, who is technically one of Beto's cousins, lives near the Pacific coast with her husband and their five children. Although their home is small, their hearts are big enough to accept Alberto into their family.

We're taking our time to introduce Beto to Mayra and her family. She comes to visit nearly every day and Alberto's really warmed up to her, as he eventually does with everyone he meets. As he blew out his birthday candles, our staff and volunteers made the silent wish that next year Beto would celebrate his birthday in a real home, surrounded by a loving family.

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See more photos and video of the celebration on Facebook!

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Feb 16, 2012
Remembering Frank

By Megan Kadrmas | Director of Benefactor Services

In Memory of Frank Lisandro

Frank was gravely ill when he came to Casa Jackson. The 10-year-old boy with very devoted parents had been living a nightmare for the last 2 months. Frank had always been a healthy, happy boy who loved going to school and playing soccer with his friends, his parents told us. You wouldn't know it, looking at this little boy who weighed less than 50 lbs.

Frank started complaining of strong headaches towards the end of last school year. His parents, poor and uneducated, didn't have many options, so they took him to a public hospital where care is free but sub-standard. The doctors told Frank's parents that they needed to perform brain surgery.His parents didn't really understand the terminology the doctors were using, and didn't know what questions to ask before consenting. Following surgery, Frank lost his appetite and only ate a couple of spoonfuls of food and liquid each day. He was now too weak to walk, stand, or sit on his own, and even speaking was painful.

Since the surgery, Frank’s parents were going without food to purchase his medicine. His father, a carpenter, was working 18 hours a day to earn money; while his mother stayed by his bedside. They brought him to several hospitals and clinics. They were turned away each time until a doctor told them about Casa Jackson. It was hard for them to believe that we would try to help Frank at no cost. His father tried to repay us by offering to use his carpentry skills to build anything we needed, and offered for his wife to work as our maid.

Only a couple of days after Frank was admitted, he suffered a series of large seizures in the middle of the night and was rushed to a near-by hospital. Tests revealed that Frank had a large brain tumor. Casa Jackson staff used their connections to arrange an appointment with a well-known neurologist in Guatemala City, to find out if the tumor was operable and if Frank would survive long enough to have the surgery.

The day of the appointment, Frank must have known his time was limited. He kept telling his father that he just wanted to go home. Fifteen minutes after we gently placed Frank in his bed at home, he passed away surrounded by his loving parents, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The staff and volunteers at Casa Jackson share his family's profound grief but also their hope that Frank is now at peace. We wish this story had a different ending but, unfortunately, not every story is a success. Sometimes, children come to us too late to help. Despite our best efforts and well-connected medical network, we can't save them. These moments are thankfully few, but definitely the hardest at Casa Jackson. But they also remind us why this work is so vitally important in Guatemala. We work in memory of children like Frank, who came to us far too late and left us far too soon.

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Dec 29, 2011
What a year!

By Megan Kadrmas | Communications Coordinator

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