"MEET THE DOLPHINS" - by our Guatemala Intern

Buenas tardes, amigos!!  This morning we welcomed a new Canary to the Center! Her name is Delmi Gimena and she is 1 year and 3 months old. Delmi is very swollen over her entire body, but she seems to be in good spirits, considering it is only her first day here. Please say some extra prayers for this sweet girl as she adjusts to life here at the Center.

* Delmi Gimena, 1 year and 3 months old, joined the Canaries this morning.

Now...Meet the Dolphins!

The Dolphin room, aka the "ICU" room, is home to those children who are suffering the most severely from malnourishment. The severe state of their malnutrition has caused them to have developmental delays. In the Dolphin room there is a lot of emphasis placed on developmental therapies, and there are even exercises posted on a bulletin board (in Spanish and English) that are to be done with the children during play time.

Some of the children in this room do not necessarily appear to be severely malnourished, until you compare their age with their size and level of development. Let me introduce you to the children of the Dolphin room:

 

*Carlos Enrique is about 2 years old, but is unable to sit up on his own, let alone crawl, stand, or walk. In spite of this, he is always smiling! He loves to be in the walker and play with anything that rattles. His smile is completely contagious!

 

*Mynor is 2 years and 3 months old. He is able to sit up, but not for long periods of time, and he usually keeps himself balanced with his hands on the floor. He is extremely thin, basically just skin and bones, but he is one of the happiest kids around! Any time you look at him he gives you the biggest smile. He loves to play with all kinds of toys, but the slinky in particular was his favorite. (Excuse his unhappy face in the slinky picture...he didn't like the camera flash...but I had to add the picture so you can more clearly see how thin he really is.)

 

*This is Luis! He is just over 2 years old and almost always happy. He loves to roll the ball back and forth and bounce it on the ground! Luis can sit up and crawl, and if you'll hold his hands, he can even walk a little! He is very sweet and loves attention...and whenever you pull out a camera or phone to take a picture, he always puts on a smile.

 

*Maria Fernanda is 1 year and 4 months old. I was interning here last summer when she first came to us in June 2012 weighing only 3 lbs at one month old.

She was born two months premature and has a cleft palate, contributing to her developmental delays and malnutrition. Maria is unable to even sit up on her own and has very little head control, so there are many therapies that we are working on with her in order to improve her development. Although she is still not where she should be for her age, she has grown tremendously! Maria is a sweet, quiet little girl, typically content to sit in a bumbo or bouncer seat and watch the other kids. 

 

*Ingrid is 1 year and 3 months old. She is able to sit up on her own for a little while, but she's a bit wobbly and often needs assistance. Ingrid loves to be in a walker and will roll all over the room as long as you will let her. She's a happy little girl with a teeny-tiny laugh that is just so precious! And as you can see, she loves to wave at the camera.

 

*This is Mario René. He is almost 10 months old and such a sweetie! Mario is very small and cannot even roll over without some help, which is far behind where a child his age should be. He is quite ticklish and has the cutest little two-toothed smile!

 

 

*Jeremías is 2 years and 4 months old. He is able to sit up and crawl, but can only walk if you hold his hands and help him. He is the sweetest little boy and such a ham! He is always posing for the camera! Jeremías loves to play with cars and will "drive" them around all day. While he is still extremely behind for his age, he has improved extraordinarily since he arrived at the Center in July. When he came in, he weighed only 13 lbs and had swollen legs, irritated skin, virtually no muscle mass, and no expression.

Today, thanks to God's love and healing, he is one of the happiest children in the Center and well on his way to where he needs to be!

Children with developmental delays and disabilities have always had a special place in my heart, so the Dolphins are very dear to me. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to see them grow and improve and to see how God is touching them every day. Please keep these sweet children (along with all of the children in the Center) and the Nannies who care for them each day in your prayers. It takes a big heart with a lot of love to do what the Nannies here do, and I am so thankful that God has brought these amazing women to work here.

Your love and prayers are appreciated more than you know. Thank you all so much!