The long road to recovery
Crysner first came to the medical facility in Foret des Pins in 2016 with his mother and younger brother. Both boys were malnourished, had developmental delays, and were dealing with a variety of other diagnoses. At that time we had not yet established an outpatient malnutrition program, but we attempted to provide some nutritional assistance and treat their medical problems. We would request regular follow-up visits but would see the family for only one or two appointments and then not again for many months. We continued to only see Crysner sporadically over the following 2.5 years, never sure why they weren’t more consistent in their follow-ups.
In early 2019, Crysner presented at the clinic in very poor condition dealing with a pulmonary infection and significant weight loss. We suspected tuberculosis and instructed his mother that it was imperative that they go to an approved TB clinic for testing. The nearest facility is a several hour car ride down the mountain and into the outskirts of the big city; a trip like this seems insurmountable to many of the people living in the rural mountain villages in our region. We didn’t hear back from Crysner’s mom after a couple of weeks and worried that they had never made the trip for TB testing. Daniel ventured out on a 1 hour motorcycle ride over a very poor road to search their village. This same trip becomes a 2.5 hour walk up and over a mountain for those unable to afford a moto taxi. We began to understand why consistent visits to the clinic were so difficult for this family. Since the family doesn’t have a horse or donkey to ride and can’t afford the moto taxi, Crysner’s very petite mom would walk the distance to the clinic, often having to carry Crysner most of the trip. Daniel found the family living in extreme material poverty. Their house was a tiny 5’x8’ structure assembled with sticks and plantain tree leaves. It contained 1 bed and this is where their family of 5 slept. Crysner was in very poor condition.
We made arrangements to transport Crysner and his mom to another facility near Port-au-Prince who agreed with our suspicions of tuberculosis. They sent him to a state run facility for testing, and he was admitted to the TB sanatorium where he remained for 2.5 months. Upon his discharge, AHA’s medical facility continued to provide nutritional assistance and provided for the transport needed to attend his monthly follow-up appointments. Before his 2nd monthly appointment, Crysner developed severe pain in his feet and weakness-he couldn’t walk and could barely stand- and it was obvious that his treatment was not working. His condition deteriorated during transport down the mountain, and he ended up requiring ambulance transport to a charitable children’s hospital in Port-au-Prince. There he began the slow, difficult journey of healing with the medications and nutritional support he needed.
Approximately 1-1.5 months into his hospital stay, his mother returned home to her village to find that her house had begun to fall over and all of her clothes and possessions were wet and coated in dirt. We knew a child as sick as Crysner would never be able to stay well or thrive living in these conditions. A generous donor family heard the need and immediately acted to ensure that this family would have a sturdy and dry home for Crysner to come home to. While his mom returned to the hospital to be with her son, AHA hired a crew to build a simple 2-room rock and cement walled home with a framed metal roof.
After 5 long months in his 2nd hospital admission in under a year, Crysner was able to return home. AHA continued to provide nutritional support and transportation assistance for him to attend his follow-up appointments at the TB clinic. In June 2020, Crysner completed his tuberculosis treatment regimen and was declared TB-free! We continue to keep a close eye on Crysner, monitoring his weight and overall health status.
Please continue to pray with us for good health for Crysner and his family and for the staff of AHA to continue to have the wisdom, compassion, and stamina to continue advocating for so many in our region like him.