Meet Dorcas

We’ve gotten a bit behind on our introductions of new kids at Precious Kids Center. We grew so fast and things got hectic so we have many new friends that have yet to be introduced. Stay tuned for more posts introducing all of our new precious ones.

I met Dorcas in April of 2015 after getting a call from a friend about a child in need. We drove about an hour, up a winding road that crept its way up the side of a huge hill. We walked into her house and Dorcas greeted us with a smile. We talked to her mom and learned that she has epilepsy and hemiplegic cerebral palsy caused by a stroke that affects her left side. Not all of the visits that we make end in a child being taken to Precious Kids Center. We try to take only the neediest and neglected cases into the home and the other cases we try to give the parents a little extra support and advice to allow them to give their child the proper care from home. She was fairly healthy, happy and seemed to be well cared for so we bought Dorcas some extra medicine for her epilepsy and told her mother to contact us if she needed anything.

Then in December 2015, we got a call from the same friend who brought us to meet Dorcas the first time. He said that her health that drastically changed and that we should pay her a visit. So we stopped by and found Dorcas was definitely not doing well at all. She was covered in sores and scabs from scabies, which comes from not being clean, so it was evident that no one was taking the time to bathe her. Her whole family was sitting in the house eating their lunch as she was writhing in pain on the couch grabbing her stomach. There was no smile or friendly greeting this time because she was in too much pain. So we talked to her mother and she agreed to let us take Dorcas to get medical care, so we loaded her up in the car and went straight to the hospital. The doctor gave her some medicine and sent us home to get a few tests the next day to see what exactly was the problem with her stomach. The next morning we could tell that Dorcas was only getting worse. She wasn’t eating or drinking and was very lethargic. We hurried to the hospital to get the tests done and found out that she had an intestinal blockage. So she was admitted to the hospital and after two days with no improvement, we were very worried that we had found her too late. But on the third day, she finally began to show improvements and we were thrilled to see her sweet smile again. The intestinal blockage was caused by a worm infestation which can easily be prevented by a medication that only costs twenty cents that should be given to children every three months.

Dorcas getting her last dose of medicine before going to her new home at PKC

Dorcas is now a totally different kid. She is very happy to be in her new home and is thriving. She always has a smile on her face and loves to sing and dance. She made herself right at home and adjusted well to her new life. She is rarely seen without a smile on her face and loves playing with all her new friends. She also loves a good dance party.

After Dorcas was with us for about a year we began to notice that it seemed as if her mental development was regressing. Her memory wasn’t as good as it was in the beginning and she seemed more confused and disoriented even when she wasn’t having seizures. We went to get her checked out and her oxygen levels were too low, but she wasn’t showing any of the signs that she should have for having such low levels. The doctor ran some tests and diagnosed her with Sickle Cell Anemia. We were able to get her on a few extra medications to help with some of her symptoms and gave us some dietary changes and she began to improve. She is often hospitalized due to frequent seizures, so please keep our sweet little Dori in your prayers.

We love having this little bundle of joy around. She keeps us constantly smiling with her antics. Please continue to pray for Dorcas’s health and that she will continue to make improvements.