Day 263: Hope

Another week has come which means another opportunity to open our doors to the local population with the expectation of providing some semblance of hope. Most weeks are fairly routine...coughs, colds, aches, pains, heartburn, and the occasional scrape or cut. Our number one prescription is Liquid Tylenol and a package of Flintstones Vitamins. Otherwise, the kids would rather skip the health care part and jump into the toys, soccer balls, and school supplies!


But, today was different. I had the privilege of meeting 2 very special patients. The first was a 10 year old Afghan girl with Cerebral Palsy. Her father came up to me and asked me to help her talk and take away her seizures. I was heartbroken. I sat with him and took the time to explain the chronic nature of her condition. He looked at me and through an interpreter understood my explanation, I think he knew his daughter's condition was without a cure but in his heart he knew he at least had to ask. The unconditional love this father had for his ailing daughter was amazing, and the result was self-evident as you saw this young lady smile right at him.

Senior Airman Torres, Enamullah, and I

The second patient was a 4 year old named Enamullah. He was brought in by his father who is a soldier in the Afghan National Army. He described to me what sounded like shortness of breath with exertion and intermittent episodes of passing out. I proceeded to discover a very significant heart murmur. The boy's father then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with the letters, "VSD" written on it. I quickly realized that this boy probably has a Ventricular Septal Defect which is a hole in the wall that separates the major chambers of the heart. That hole causes oxygen-depleted blood to mix with oxygen-rich blood in the heart therefore leading to a declination of overall oxygen delivery to the body. This kind of condition requires sub specialty evaluation (Peds Cardiology) and surgical care (Peds Cardiothoracic Surgery). Again, my heart broken. My only answer to this boy and his father was, "I'll see what I can do". Getting care for this boy will be nothing short of a miracle.


Here in Afghanistan, hope is one of the few things that these people have left to hold on to. Considering the horrible history that this country has endured, I'm surprised that hope even exists. Can you imagine owning nothing, living in a war zone, and walking miles upon miles barefoot in hopes of receiving a toy, school supplies, or a bag of Flintstone vitamins. I see this every week, and not one week goes by that I don't see a smile on these kids faces...now that's hope seen on a level that is nothing short of inspiring.

I ask that you please continue to pray for these people and especially pray for little Enamullah as my hope is that there is help out there for him.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men...looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession."
Titus 2:11,13-14 NASB