Rescue a Malnourished Child in Guatemala

If you have visited Casa Jackson in the past year and a half or have interacted with our social media page, then you will have met our longest-serving patient in Casa Jackson, Angel.

Angel arrived at Casa Jackson in February 2020 after being referred by the PGN (Guatemalan Social Services). His mother had abandoned him as he was too much of a burden for her to look after. Angel was aged around 6 and was unable to walk or talk. Since then Angel has spent over 500 days in Casa Jackson and the progress he has made has been astounding.

When he arrived, the prognosis for Angel was not good. It was doubtful that he would ever be able to walk or talk. He was also unable to focus his eyes. However, after sessions with our staff and volunteers Angel is now not only able to walk completely independently but can also say a number of key phrases to let staff know of his needs. He is also able to communicate non-verbally through actions and symbols to get his point across. Angel eats and dresses himself independently as well.

On top of that Angel has also gained a significant amount of weight since arriving at Casa Jackson. At the most recent weigh-in Angel had gained 16 lbs. 3 oz. or 66% of his initial weight.

So why is Angel still at Casa Jackson? He is actually no longer malnourished and has not been since around April 2020 but has not been able to leave. This is because due to COVID-19 Angel seems to have fallen through the cracks of the Guatemalan Social Services. He was required to go to a children’s home but that home needs to be able to match his needs and provide him with further speech and physical therapy and, as of yet, that has not been possible.

This story may well have a happy ending, however. Angel has an upcoming hearing to attend with the goal of finding him an adoptive family to live with. It seems that there is already a family lined up to take Angel and we just have to wait and see if they are suitable. It is no less than Angel deserves, as he is a wonderful child who brightens up everyone in Casa Jackson’s days.

When the time comes for Angel to join his new family it will be hard to adjust. Many staff members and volunteers alike have become extremely fond of Angel and how he is part of the furniture at Casa Jackson. It will definitely be strange to walk into Casa Jackson and not hear Angel’s voice shouting ‘hola’ to you, pointing to the nurses to show who has arrived. Nevertheless, everything we do at Casa Jackson is for the benefit of our patients and the time has come for Angel to start a new life with a loving family. We can’t wait for Angel to finally get what he has always deserved.

Damarys is 11 years old and lives in Antigua Guatemala with her mother, brother, grandparents and uncle.

Her house is made of cement blocks and sheet metal with a cement floor. The rent is Q700 ($93) a month and is paid by Damarys’s grandfather. Damarys’s parents separated around a year and a half ago. Currently, her father has very little communication with her and her brother and is not helping the family financially.

Damarys’s mother has two jobs. She works as a house cleaner and in a shop. She receives Q1100 ($146) a month and uses this to buy food for the family and to pay for Damarys’s medicine.

Damarys began to lose weight around a year ago because she was only eating sweets and drinking fizzy drinks. In November 2020 she was taken to Antigua National Hospital and was found to have serious problems with her lungs, kidneys, and liver, as well as being severely malnourished. The doctor indicated that he needed to do a number of further examinations and organised them for the end of November. Damarys’s mother did not take her to them, however, having heard of a large number of COVID cases in the hospital and cancelling out of fear.

Some members of a church wanted to help Damarys and paid for her to have an examination at a private clinic and the family was told that there would be no major future complications if Damarys began to have a healthy diet and took some vitamin supplements. The doctor advised that the family should take Damarys to the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City for further checkups but Damarys’s mother did not have the money to pay for transport.

In February 2021 Damarys’s mother approached La Asociación Nuestros Ahijados to ask us to help her daughter. She visited our clinics and was referred to Casa Jackson by our doctor John Dwyer. At the time her weight was 48 lbs (21.8 kg) and her height was 132 cm.

Damarys is currently being treated at Casa Jackson and is also having a number of examinations to check on her organs. She has a special diet and supplements to help her weight gain. Damarys’s mother is very grateful to Casa Jackson for giving her hope that her daughter can recuperate and have a chance at a normal life. She will also be able to continue her studies and reach her goals. In the month that Damarys has been in Casa Jackson with us she has gained 2 lbs (0.9 kg) and is feeling much better. We are looking forward to seeing her continue to grow and improve both physically and mentally in the future.