By Kelly Shank –

Recently we shared a behind-the-scenes story about our medical staff, Doc and Mirna. This week we’d like to share good news about a few of our children, as well as an update from Doc about our home.

According to Doc’s evaluations, approximately 30% of our children have a condition that requires specialized care beyond our norm, ranging from mild developmental delays and emotional health concerns to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cerebral Palsy. Our holistic care model is helping us identify and meet the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of each child.

Doc is excited to share that 2017 was a great year for our children. Aside from the chronic conditions some of our children endure, the general health of our home is excellent and we’re focusing on maintaining our children’s health to help them heal mentally.

Updates about Josue, Mario, and Lester

Josue is a very brave and resilient boy. Not many little boys would still be smiling after visiting the doctor as many times as he has. We’ve shared about his medical concerns before but this time we have good news. Although he suffers from congenital intestinal and urinary defects, his updated care plan and recent procedures have finally stabilized his condition. We are hoping this new treatment plan will help him avoid a more invasive surgery in the future.

As a child with autism Mario faces many challenges. This year was especially difficult as he transitioned to school. At the beginning of the year he struggled with paying attention, learning, and behaving in class. Thanks to our staff and his teachers Mario has made tremendous progress. His teachers made changes in his class to accommodate his needs and our Special Mothers are spending time in the evenings helping him keep up with him classwork. He was much more successful and happy at school once we found a better way for him to learn.

Both developmental delays and chronic respiratory issues have affected Lester his entire childhood. Several years ago we were able to enroll him in a school that better fit his learning style and this year he finally experienced relief for his health problems. He had surgery earlier this year that alleviated many of his respiratory issues and helped him avoid the frequent infections he previously experienced. He’s much happier and doing better at school because he’s healthier.

Looking forward to 2018

Building on this year’s success, in 2018 Doc will concentrate even more on improving the health of our children by teaching about healthy lifestyles, nutrition, and advanced care for our special needs children.

We are committed to maintaining the health of our children while also meeting the needs of new children we welcome into our home. It’s a delicate balance between protecting the health of those currently living in our home while also fulfilling our desire to help additional children. Plus, as more of our children approach adolescence we’re facing a different set of needs and concerns. We want to make sure our teenagers are healthy, both mentally and physically, as they approach adulthood.

Today we’re celebrating children who have seen great successes this year. If you would like to help us continue expanding our health care program so we can celebrate even more healthy kids please consider giving a one-time gift for Medical Care (please mention Medical Care in the comment when you give online) or becoming a monthly sponsor. Your help makes all the difference in the lives of our children.