Xero's Lesson

On day two in Haiti a caseworker from a nearby orphange walks into the exam area of our clinic/hospital. I was standing a short distance away, so my view wasn't perfect but it looked as if she was carrying a medium sized doll that had lost most of it's stuffing. I didn't think much of it as I was deep into another infected lower leg fracture.

Forty-five minutes later I walk back into the exam area and there is a pediatrician, internal medicine doctor, two anesthesiologist and an orthopedic surgeon staring at this thin bald, blind, black with white speckeled tiny child. There was much discussion about potential etiology of this child's problems. Malnutrition, scleroderma, infection, congenital problems etc.... There was no consensus. What was decided was we in no way were capable of solving this child's problems. So we wrapped him in a blanket and handed him back to the orphanage worker.

Over the next hour or so any time a physician walked past this little boy clinging to an orphanage worker who was gently caressing him, signs, symptoms and diagnosis were shouted out to see if anyone thought we were narrowing the diagnosis. Medically no progress was made. HOWEVER what actually was happening was the warm caring touch of the orphanage caseworker turned this almost lifeless child around. In another hour he was sitting up and would "fist bump" the doctors as we walked by.

After a few phone calls we were able to arrange for transfer of this child to the University of Miami tent in Port au Prince. They circled their doctors, had the same discussions reached no conclusions and handed him back to the orphanage worker. She continued to love on him and he continued to improve. The University of Miami doctors arranged for transfer to the US Comfort ship in the harbor. I don't know for sure but it probably went something like this on that great healing vessel. "Cogenital catarcts, viral infection, mental retardation, burns, meningitis...... hand back to caseworker who makes him feel better simply by holding on tightly and being there. Finally I did here about a "real" diagnosis for this child Xeroderma pigmentosa made by a super specialist pediatrician on the US Comfort. I bet after he made the diagnosis he handed the child back to the person who was doing the most good: the orphanage worker for the treatment that we all need, love. God Bless You: XERO. Thanks for the lesson.