Wow... What a Crazy 2 Weeks...

My last post was about Jean coming... Well, as the post said, he made it and our host family coordinator and his host family was going to be going to MI to get him the next day. Well, they got him and he was not feeling too good. He had a fever and cough in Haiti, and has a history of asthma. Well, the next day he was getting worse and his fever was high. By this time, he had been running a fever for over a week. We had an appointment with the pediatrician that Thursday and could not get him in on Wednesday because they were all booked with well checks since school was starting. Luckily I live close to my parents and my dad just happens to be a doctor. So, Nancy and I loaded him up and took him to my parents house for a "house call". He was so sick that he let a strange white man exam him on my parents kitchen table. My dad heard wheezing in his lungs and could not see good in his ears because of wax build-up. Nancy suspected an ear infection because he kept pulling on his ears. So, my dad ordered him antibiotics which he threw up that night... :-(

The next day I thought he might be admitted. We have such great pediatricians that see our HTH kiddos and they check him out thoroughly! He had blood work, a chest x-ray, and a complete exam. The findings after all of the tests were back: pneumonia in his right lung, a double ear infections, dehydration, and giardia. Poor baby!!! He had an IV hep-locked in his arm for 3 days while he went in to get daily rocephin infusions. By Saturday if he was not improving, Dr. Landrigan was going to have to admit him. Praise God he was doing better and his fever broke. He got his IV out last Saturday and has improved daily. He is eating like a champ and his personality is emerging. I will get over to the Stanley's this week to do a photo shoot with Jean Widler. I can't wait!!!
I will leave you with a photo journal of his trek thus far.

(Jean on his way to the airport)

(Kristin V. with Jean on the plane)

(Carla, HTH host family coordinator)

(Nancy, Host mom)

(You can't see his face, but this is Bob, Host Dad)

(I think this is Ali, Jean's host sister)

(The Stanley family, Kristin, Isaac, and Abby Vanderwell)

(Not feeling good, but being loved!)

(Snuggling with Liza)

(Too pooped to care...)

(Not a good pic, but that is me... :-)

(Playing the drums with Bob, even with an IV in...)

(Feeling much better 2 days after antibiotics)

(Feeling even better and dressed in some cute clothes)

(This family is GREAT!!!)

Please pray that he gets strong and gains some weight!!! He was scheduled to have his surgery last Tuesday and obviously that did not happen. The ophthalmologist is out of town on a missions trip for the next week or so. So, Jean will not have his pre-op appointment until Sept. 18th. Then surgery will be rescheduled. Our plan is definitely not God's plan. He shows us that over and over with each patient that is brought over!!!

THANK YOU STANLEY'S FOR TAKING SUCH GREAT CARE OF JEAN WIDLER!!! I HOPE YOU ARE ALL GETTING MORE SLEEP NOW!!!!!!!!! :-)

Jean Widler

A team from Grand Rapids that has been at GLA for a couple weeks is bringing Jean Widler in today. Pray for Kristin Vanderwell, his transporter, as they have "Amazing Race" like connections to make it to Detroit tonight.

We are scheduled to meet them 1/2 way tomorrow in Battle Creek to pick him up. Pray that all hand offs are peaceful and without trauma for Jean.

Jean Widler has infantile esotropia, which in laymen terms is called strabismus, or crossed eyes. He will be having surgery to correct his right eye in the next couple of weeks. He has also had some fever and respiratory issues lately and hopefully at his well check this week, all will be taken care of...

Thanks for your prayers, and please keep The Stanley's in your prayers over the next 8 weeks as they invite him into their home to love him as one of their own.

God's Workmanship

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Thank you all for your prayers and support. This scripture is so appropriate for Sabrina and all of us. He created her perfectly for His purposes so that she could do good works for Him.He knew in advance what her life and death were to be and God makes no mistakes. We were blessed to have her in our lives for the time we did as was the orphanage.

She will have lasting impact on her mother, us, the Ingle family, Hands That Heal and everyone that knew of her and prayed for her. Even this week I have had opportunity to talk with my sons new teachers, our neighbors, and thoses we work with about Sabrina, what Hands That Heal does and the effect she had on our lives. Even after her death she is enabling us to share how God has allowed us to extend the love He gives us to others and be a testimony to God.

Pray that the service goes well tomorrow and facilitates closure for all involved.

Thanks Steph

OOPS!!!!

I just looked at Sabrina's obituary on the blog and realized that a lot of it got cut out. I am not sure how that happened, it is all there in the pre-post. Oh, well... Please read it again for all of the details... Sorry!!!

Sabrina's Obituary...

This was published in our Ft. Wayne paper today.

SABRINA (HOPE) SAMPEUR, passed away on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, at St. Vincent's Hospital, Indianapolis. She was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti. She is survived by her mother, Martine Sampeur; and her long term host family, The Ingle's, of Cincinnati, Ohio and all those who helped along the way. Service is 11 a.m. Friday at D.O. McComb & Sons Lakeside Park Funeral Home, 1140 Lake Ave., with calling one hour prior. The Rev. Kerry Huffman officiating. Burial in Lindenwood Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Hands That Heal in care of the Avalon Missionary Church, 1212 Lower Huntington Road, Fort Wayne IN 46819. To visit our website, go to www.handsthatheal-mk1618b.blogspot.com. To sign the online guestbook, visit www.mccombandsons.com
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ANYONE is welcome to attend her viewing, memorial, and burial. We all prayed for her and now we will all put her to rest, dignified, and celebrate how much she taught us all!

In Honor of Sabrina...

In honor of Sabrina, I am changing our blog song for this week. Please read the below post...

This poem was just written by Rhyan Buettner, another 'mommy' to Sabrina when she was at GLA. Rhyan was at GLA the day Sabrina was brought there by her aunts, and she was there to witness a mother's tears as she looked at her daughter's 'broken' body.
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God Chose Me

God chose me to hold you close
Sweet baby for a moment or two
God chose me to hold his angel
and I cherish the day He gave me you

I held you child for 9 whole months
The dreams I had may never be known
But I loved you baby I promise you that
I held you until you had grown

I held you while I heard them speak,
the women who loved you so
I held you while your name was given
why God chose me I may never know

I am another who held you close
while God granted us your time
I prepared your feeds and nursed your hurts
For those moments, you were mine

God also chose me to hold you dear
for a season of your days
I carried you as we left the land of your birth
and held you along the way

I held you Sabrina close to my heart
Photographs of you play through my mind
I fought so hard to bring you here
Doing the work God assigned

God called me to hold His child
A baby in need of care
All night and day I cared for you
for that time I was there

God chose me to pick you baby
to keep you as my own
I was to be your mommy here
how I wanted to give you a home

God chose each of us sweet Sabrina girl
To walk your road with you
God placed in our arms an angel of his
Until your time was through

He gave you a life, He gave us a passion
and somehow the two paths crossed
He gave you breath, He gave us vision
And through it, your story will never be lost

Author: Rhyan Buettner
August 10, 2009

Baby Sabrina...

It is with a sad heart that I write this post. Sabrina died around 2:30am August 8th. She was breathing kind of funny when I spoke with Stephanie Mueller, our nurse coordinator for Hands That Heal, Friday afternoon. It sounded like she had the hick-ups. When Steph would re-position her, she would be fine. Heart, lungs, and everything else checked out normal. This continued off and on a few times on Friday, so Steph took her to the ER Friday night. I was camping with Hannah and I never heard my phone... Once in the ER, her breathing became more shallow and within a couple hours she passed away. Her little body was unable to fight any longer. We are all SHOCKED!!! Just the day before, First Steps was evaluating her and writing up a long term plan for her therapies. She was doing "great" for Sabrina!!!

Please pray for Stephanie and her family: Sabrina died in her arms and she is taking this very hard!!! Stephanie has been taking care of Sabrina for the past few weeks. She was her temporary host mom until she was released on her post-op appointment. Her boys loved Sabrina, and Jeremy in particular, is taking Sabrina's death really hard!

PLEASE PRAY FOR HER LONG TERM HOST FAMILY: Sabrina was scheduled to go to the Ingles, in Ohio, August 20th after her post-op check. They were hosting her long term. They were adopting a child from Liberia and trying to get him out on a medical visa, and he died two weeks ago. This family is grieving and needs our prayers!!! Their children are taking all of this incredibly hard!!!

Please pray for Hands That Heal this week: God has blessed us with a Funeral company that is going to donate everything for Sabrina's memorial. I am not sure what all will be involved: we meet with the director tomorrow morning.

Pray for all of the hands that kept Sabrina alive in Haiti and loved her so much while she was there. This little girl has touched so many lives in her short time on earth. To man's eyes, she was the most unlikely vessel to share His love, grace, and compassion. To God, Sabrina was the most perfect vessel to bring people closer to Him!!!!!! She has meant so much, and has taught so many people so many lessons!!!!

Sabrina, may you run and play with all of the other children that were on this earth way too short!!!! May you fly with wings that are full of life and happiness... I can just see (imagine) Berlancia, (a little girl that died a year ago at GLA: she died of Aids) with her big eyes and ornery smile, standing at the gates of Heaven saying, "We have been waiting for you to come and play...you just needed some time down there to finish what He wanted you to accomplish..." Both Berlancia and Sabrina were loved by a "momma", Anna, who is only 20 years old and so wise beyond her years!!! Both girls were abandoned by their earthly mothers, loved by so many at GLA, and were blessed to receive Anna's love like they were her own. Both knew a "mother's" love before they were held by their Heavenly Father!

What the world looks at as "the least of these" we know to be God's jewels and are mandated to love these children as He has loved us!!!" To God, these children are His BEST AND MOST PRECIOUS VESSELS!!!!

Sabrina: Your life on this earth was way too short, but what you taught so many in your 11 weeks, no one will ever forget!!!!!!

Thank you: Hands That Heal is honored and humbled to have gotten a chance to be involved and blessed by you, in your short life!!!

Changing all the time

Here are some new photos of Sabrinas head shape. Her head circumference is down to 53cm. It was 59 at her largest. We are starting to wean the seizure meds today. Pray she tolerates it and doesnt begin to have more seizures. Her weight is down a little too but she is still losing fluid. She is near 12 lbs still. She is not taking a bottle still. She chokes at first then does attempt to get into a rhythm but doesnt suck strong enough to pull the milk out. I have tried several different nipple shapes and sizes. Her abdomen isnt healing totally and is leaking a little. She is very quiet. I did see her move her arms randomly today when we were doing her "baby exercises". Several times a day we move all her joints so she doesnt begin to get stiff.
Pray for her continued healing.
Thanks Steph

Midnight

Little Miss Sabrina was wide awake at midnight! She was so alert and I swear she smiles!

Bath Time

Sabrina does not seem to mind getting a bath. She doesnt like her head washed though. I use a heating pad under her to keep her temp up. She cannot be submerged yet until her abdominal inscision is totally healed.
She is doing well.

Just a LITTLE Photo Shoot...

I am a photographer, and I love photographing babies, especially our Hands That Heal babies. Kids are not easy to photograph, but when the images come out how I want them to, I feel very accomplished... Little Miss Sabrina cooperated wonderfully yesterday, and she looked stunning: As always!!!

So, with no further ado: SABRINA SAMPEUR...