Angel was born into a family that included several older school age siblings, her father (who was a hardworking farmer), her mother, and her elderly grandmother. Despite being very healthy she had a strange lump at the base of her spine, and very thin, floppy legs. Angel could not learn to use her legs at all and the Doctors in Haiti told her parents she had a problem with her spinal cord, and there is no way to treat her in Haiti, but she might be able to be helped in the USA.
Family visit in the clinic at the church
With great sadness mixed with hope, her parents give their little girl to the Missionaries to bring to the US, where she was evaluated and treated with painstaking and difficult surgery to untangle the nerves in her spine. A family with several children opened their home, cared for her, and helped her through surgery and recovery. She went through physical therapy and even learned to use a rolling walker. Plans were made for her to return to her family in Haiti.
In the interim, her mother had become pregnant with twins, and she died during the delivery so Angel’s father had no choice but to send the twins to nuns in a convent orphanage to raise, and so the American family was asked to continue Angel’s care.
Think how the story would be different if Angel’s mother had had adequate nutrition, prenatal care, and vitamins , which are felt to help prevent such defects.
Scientific studies show that women with vitamin B12 deficiency in early pregnancy are up to five times more likely to have a child with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida (the name for Angel’s illness) compared to women with high levels of vitamin B12.
In addition to prevention of birth defects with prenatal care, think how much less traumatic for a baby to remain with her natural parents, or, at worst, to be able to be returned to her family of origin after her surgery to grow and thrive in Haiti and how much better it would be for the twins to have had adequate prenatal care and a safe birth.
All of these are possible with local care in the communities in Haiti. Preventive and prenatal care as well as safe deliveries are within reach with your support. Please help us by pledging a monthly donation to Project Starfish Haiti designated for the Peter Y. Whitehead Community Health Clinic.