Medical visas are slow

Here at Angel Missions, we are still working on some of the visas that were started over the summer. It has been a nightmare trying to obtain the records from National Archives that will allow us to have passports made for the children. Without a Haitian passport, we cannot apply for a US visa. Kerverson, a little boy from Dorothy's with spinal and leg deformities, Whitney, a little girl with a congenital amputation, and Bethsarida, a baby with a recto-anal malformation, are top on the priority list but are still waiting. Edjour, AMH's paperwork guy, finally got a passport for Bethsarida, so hopefully she will travel soon, but the other two as well as a dozen more, are at a roadblock. Fortunately, only one of those children has a life-threatening problem: little Yanncky Noah, who has what is most likely a cancer of the eye. He does have a passport, but we are still looking for an eye doctor who is willing to donate his services to save Yanncky's life.


Meanwhile, new patients continue to arrive. Rose Carline is a little cleft lip and palate baby from the countryside. We have a doctor for her but have difficulty contacting her mother to get the legal paperwork done here in Haiti. Luckily, the mother is doing a good job caring for Rose Carline, so she isn't in too much danger while she waits.


Nathaniel is a hydrocephalic baby. So far we have nothing for him - no passport, no doctor in the US, no hospital, no host family.


Mardochee is 11 years old and she has a disease called retinitis pigmentosa. I don't know much about the disease but I do know this: Mardochee is going blind. Certain therapies and vitamins could help save the limited sight she still has, but we need to move fast!


Lastly, Dave Mike is an infant with bilateral deformations in his legs. As you can see in the photo, his right foot deviates dramatically to the right and his right knee is partially locked. His left leg deviates to the midline and his left foot is severely clubbed. He also has no passport, doctor or hospital yet, but AMH has some wonderful orthopedic doctors, so hopefully we will find someone easily for him.