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Mourning The Loss
Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with Dyani and Fredrico Sierra and their family, as they mourn the unexpectant death of their 18 year old son, Alex. We have had the pleasure of meeting Dyani at Shriners Hospital, through our connection of visiting Honduran patients. Their family has been an incredible asset to the lives of so many children from Honduras and beyond.
Dyani and her daughter, Laura, just radiate love and kindness, and children are so very perceptive in receiving these gifts. They also happen to be bilingual, and this is extremely comforting to the children who are often away from their families, facing serious operations/treatment. Dyani has been able to share histories of the children which I would never have the chance to know because of my limited Spanish. She shares information which is helpful to the staff because children feel comfortable in sharing it with her.
The Sierra family lives close to Shriners and are constant visitors. They are well connected within their church community and have had the foresight to pair particular members with certain patients, to make invaluable support for the children.
Currently, the family is hosting 6 year old Heydy and she truly has become “the shining light” in their family. This little girl is absolutely thriving in their home, and has the most captivating eyes and charming smile! Although she will be returning to Honduras on Wednesday, she will need further treatment and hopefully will have the opportunity to return to Shriners and the Sierra family in the near future.
It is my hope that the Sierras are surrounded by all the love and comfort they so freely give unconditionally to all. Peace be with you…
Noel’s Extended Family
For the past five years Noel has spent significant periods of time in the Boston area while receiving medical treatment and follow-up care. Although he lives at our home in Concord, he can often be found two houses away, at the Andonians. Most days Noel would ask me, ” can I go see who is home? and how long can I stay?” Then off he’d go in his “Escalade!” That little car soon became a fixture at their house.
Noel loved hanging out with Nick, Haley and Grace, spending hours playing Halo, swimming in the pool and eating as many special treats as he could. The Andonians truly became his extended family and showered him with so much love and attention.
Dave, Kris Ann and their children have been involved with “our” kids for years, and we’re hoping they’ll take the opportunity to visit Noel at his home in Honduras. Esperanza is grateful for their financial support, as well, which will be designated for Noel’s education.
An Empty Nest
We have just returned from North Carolina, after sending our youngest child off to college for the first time. Everyone keeps asking, “how do you feel?”, “what are you going to do now?” At the moment, I am “at peace”…Bobby is content, and therefore I am, as well. It is reassuring knowing he is in a great environment, surrounded by many friends and that I will see him in a month.
It has been a big week… Noel returning to Honduras, Bobby leaving for North Carolina and Tony headed to Vermont. This is the time in your life you speculate about far into the future, and it is here. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to have been home full time with my three sons. I will certainly miss them (and all their friends) hanging out at our house and watching their sporting events and other activities. But, I also think we won’t be “child free” for too long…just 2 days after sending Noel home to Honduras I received a call from Shriners Hospital asking if we could host a 7 year old girl.
For now, we’ll take a quiet respite from “Sponge Bob Square Pants” and playing games, and spend some time rejuvenating…however, I know the longing will be back to have another child enter our lives, and our hearts…our home will not be empty too long.
The Anticipation of Separation
In five days, Noel will be returning to his family in Honduras after spending nine weeks with our family. I am trying to “stay in the moment” and enjoy each day, but saying “goodbye” does linger in the back of my mind. We have been through this countless times, having fostered many children in the past several years, but having Noel leave is always more difficult for me. This little boy captured my heart over five years ago when his mom first introduced us and explained his need for a life saving operation. Since then, he’s traveled here more times than any other patient and spent extended periods with our family…we’ve shared his hospital experiences, holidays and regular day happenings.
I love children of all ages, and there’s a certain beauty in meeting them at a young age and watching their development. We met Noel when he was four years old, and he was absolutely adorable. He had big brown eyes, and a smile that just radiated. We loved watching him play…one day turning a cardboard box into his own toy, and another day teaching us the art of marbles.
In the past two months, my husband and I have spent nearly every evening hanging out with Noel. Now that he is almost ten years old and fluent in Engligh, he enjoys sharing stories about his home life and community. I really look forward to his stories each night and learning more about the people and country we have come to love. Although we have a home in Honduras and many friends there, we are limited in communicating with them because of the language barrier. Noel, and the other children attending bilingual school, are often our “key” to this other culture.
This summer we have learned about the different animals eaten in Honduras including squirrel, snake, and rats. We have learned about various home remedies…everything from curing illnesses to preventing perspiration. Noel has taught us how his family lives with the most basic supplies and how they improvise when they don’t have a certain tool that we would use. We have a greater understanding of the daily struggles his family (and most others) face each and every day, and a deeper sense of admiration of their survival instincts.
I am grateful Noel is looking forward to returning home to a family who loves him, and is willing to share their son with our family. It is also helpful knowing that we will be seeing him in two months, when we return to the same village as Noel’s, for a month long visit. We will have the opportunity to share some of the experiences Noel has told us about, and for that, we are grateful. Be safe, my friend.
Providing for his family…
Do you remember what it was like to be a nine year old during summer vacation? For me, life was carefree, and our family owned a cottage on Lake Champlain in Vermont. We played all day and night with our cousins and friends…swimming, boating, softball, bonfires and sleeping on the beach.
It is quite different for nine year old, Noel, visiting from Honduras. Although we offer him lots of fun including trips to the beach, playing in the pool and attending summer camp, his mind is not completely at ease. He is continually thinking of his family back home…Mama, Papa, Lizzie, Maicol, as well as, a large extended family. Are his parents working? Do they have enough food? Are his pets still alive?
I’ll never forget Noel’s first trip here when he was four years old. There was some leftover food and he looked up to me with a very concerned face asking, “can we send this home to Mama?” Since then, he’s been determined to earn as much money as he can, to bring home to his family. He’s constantly looking to empty the trash, clean the cars, water the plants, feed the dogs or return bottles/cans. Family and friends have “hired” him on, knowing this money isn’t for candy or toys; it will be used to buy another deer (which he hopes will produce offspring), and food for his family.
Noel talks to his family on a regular basis. Most calls are filled with updates from both ends and then requests from home for something to be purchased in the U.S. Noel is their “hope” and often times, “provider.” I often wonder what this feels like to him. I imagine it’s an array of emotions…responsibility, pressure, and hopefully, pride.
Noel will be returning home in a few weeks and beginning third grade at the end of the month. His bilingual school is rigorous, and we depend (and our grateful) to our friend, Ana, for his success. We are constantly telling Noel that this educational opportunity can make the difference of a lifetime…we hope he takes advantage of it.
Success Stories
Previously in our “Success Stories” section we focused on the Honduran patients who have received treatment in the United States. However, that is really only a portion of the work Esperanza does. Whenever possible we try to find treatment for the patients within their home country, allowing them to stay with their family. To learn more about these children who have received treatment within Honduras, check out our Success Stories page. Over the next few weeks we will continue to add more to this section, so be sure keep an eye out!
So Many Things To Love About Honduras
When I think about living in Honduras, one of the first things to come to mind is simplicity. Our home is small, on a tiny plot of land and the house is so uncluttered…no t.v., dishwasher, washing machine etc. We live amongst the geckos, roosters and a roaming bull.
Our home is generally filled with children. I love to watch them play…they still rely on their imaginations to make up games…something many other children have lost. When they don’t have certain equipment for sports, they make up their own. Flip-flops are used for goalie gloves and sticks are used for baseball bats.
And it’s not just the children who show their creativity…I have seen adults use Coke bottles for three different things. One was used at a public hospital to collect used needles. A smaller version was used by an elderly asthmatic patient for an inhaler. Our friend Mita cut her’s lengthwise, and uses them for flower boxes.
Simple life….their homes, their lives, their wants, their needs.
Why I Love Being Involved With Honduras
This post is written by Ricky Lania
Eight years ago, my mom told me we were going to have a little girl from Honduras live at our house while she received treatment for her clubfeet. As a 15 year old, I was hesitant about the idea of a baby from some foreign country staying with us because selfishly I knew it would affect my life. Little did I know just how big an affect it would be.
My involvement with Honduras has grown significantly over the years and while I’ve put in time and energy, I’ve received so much more in return. Initially, I just played with the children who were living at our home to help ease the transition. I can’t imagine what goes through their heads when they have to come to a new country, live with strangers who speak a different language, and have a major surgery. Attempting to remove any of the scariness and making our home a fun place to live was definitely important to me.
As Stefany, Noel, and Astrid made return visits to the US and I started traveling to Honduras, I became much more connected with the children. It was then that it hit me how different the lives of these children who I had become so close to could have been. Stefany was born with feet looking like this:
Without surgery, she never would have been able to walk and would have been an outcast in her village her entire life. It always makes me smile when I see her able to run and be the little tomboy she truly is (she is not afraid to throw a punch).
Four years ago, Noel’s parents told me they would like me to be his Padrino (god father). I felt honored as Noel had become like another brother to me. While I definitely appreciated Mita and Muncho selecting me, Noel found a way to give me an even better gift when I was in Honduras in February. On my first full day in Honduras, I went to pick Noel up from his bilingual school. When I found him in a big auditorium, Noel wanted to walk me around. As we went by his classmates and friends, he would stop at each one, point at me, and tell them “this is MY padrino.” I can’t even describe how cool it felt that Noel cared so much about me that he wanted to show me off.
It hasn’t been just the children who have stayed at my house that has helped me develop a love for Honduras but also the people in Flores as well. Every time I am there, they could not be more helpful, protective, and caring. While these Hondurans comparatively have so little, they are always trying to do something to help me. This definitely provides a driving force for why I want to continue to help them. Whether its spreading the word, collecting donations, or applying for grants, knowing that they not only need help but sincerely appreciate it motivates me to find new ways to help.
For anyone who is interested in becoming involved, I definitely recommended it. There are so many different ways to help and I have no doubt you’ll find you get much more out it than you put in.
Berenice Turns 1!!!
Berenice turned one year old on March 10. 2011. This was the day she was discharged from Tufts, following the heart catheterization. Astrid (6 years old) had baked and decorated her cake and was so excited for the party. However, Berenice was too tired and fell asleep early, so we postponed the party for the following day.
The girls were all dressed up in their party dresses, hats, blowers and balloons. Berenice enjoyed the songs and birthday cake. We felt privileged to be part of her celebration. Our thoughts were with her family in Honduras, and with Ray Tye’s family here in the Boston area. I believe it’s a miracle that Berenice was born on the day Ray passed away, and am sure there is a bond between them. May they both stay blessed.
Esperanza - Hope For The Children 