Just a quick update on Twenibua, the sick child in Ghana who was brought to John
last week.
Twenibua has received treatment. When he was first brought to the hospital he was
kept overnight and was released to his father's care the next morning. Yesterday
(Tuesday) he was taken in for a checkup to see how he was doing. The doctors gave
him an IV drip and some medicine and he has once more been released from the
hospital with instructions on his future care.
At this point it seems that he is in no danger, and he has had medical care so
hopefully he will recover with no further problems.
(Below is the text of the original update on Twenibua and how his father came to
John asking for help.)
An outbreak of measles in Texas is in the headlines these days but mostly because
any case of the measles in the United States is unusual. While there has been
progress in reducing measles all over the world, cases of the disease remain higher
than they should be. Not too long ago Anabel, the little girl under our care in
Ghana, came down with measles and thankfully recovered. And today another of the
children we have been taking care of was brought to John suffering with it.
The little boy's name is Twenibua. He is slightly less than two years old, now. He
first came to John's attention when he found him abandoned at a local merchant's
shop. The shopkeeper told John that the father had asked him to watch him and then
never came back. John took the boy in and, when the father finally returned, helped
him to relocate to the village where his mother said he would care for him.
Basically, this didn't last long, and the mother soon threw him out, leaving him once
again, with his father who was basically unable to care for him. We have been doing
what we can to help with the child's keep since then.
This is a very simplified recap of a long, complicated story but the problem is
that the child's body is covered with measles rash and the father can't afford to
get him any kind of medical treatment. Unfortunately, this is the end of the month
when our funds are tight (and John himself has been very sick) but we will do what
we can.
