Honduran

Updates from Emily and Tom in Flores

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Emily & Tom

I spoke with Emily and Tom last night, and got to hear how extremely busy they have been since going down to Honduras. Noel, Stefany, Astrid, Chippy, and Daniella have all spent a few nights sleeping over, and Emily and Tom are getting to experience first hand many of the challenges Honduran kids and their parents face when it comes to school work. For example, Noel had a homework assignment where he had to cut out an image that was an example of “strength.” How do you do this when you don’t have a magazine or newspaper to use? Also, they were amazed at the amount of homework each child is expected to do even in 1st and 2nd grade.

As happens with every trip to Honduras, Emily and Tom were sought out by someone looking for medical help. This time it was a mother and her son with heart conditions, who also happened to be relatives of Noel. In order to better understand what they were looking for and to get past the language barrier, Noel translated back and forth for Emily. Noel’s grandmother was brought to tears by how proud and amazed she was seeing him in action.

Emily and Tom have also got to see friends they have met over the years including Gloria, Blanca, and German. As I get more updates I’ll continue to share what they have been up to.

This post was written by Rick Lania

One Boy’s Compassion… Making A Difference

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Fifteen year old Ben Lania recently organized his own drive for collecting school supplies, over the counter medications and toiletries. His initiative and follow through produced a generous response within his community.

Ben provided us with these supplies for our last trip to the village of Flores. The much needed items were enthusiastically received by children and adults alike. Families go without basic items such as soap or toothpaste due to living in extreme poverty. Children are not afforded the luxury of “back to school shopping” for supplies… they scrape by with what they can find.

All recipients were extremely grateful for Ben’s donations, and their underlying comment was “someone living far away cares.” Children are our future, and this one is making a positive impact. Thanks, Ben!

Berenice’s Check-up

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Berenice

The Friends of Barnabas Foundation’s cardiac team is currently working at Cemesa Hospital in San Pedro Sula. A year ago they were first introduced to Berenice Miranda Garcia and tried to complete a heart catheterization. Unfortunately, the stenosis was too tight and it was unsuccessful. The team determined she would need to travel to the United States for life saving cardiac surgery.

Lori Cordova, R.N. contacted us and soon began the process of getting Berenice to Boston. We gratefully accepted the financial support from the Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation and were once again placed in the wonderful care of the medical staff at Tufts Medical Center. Berenice’s heart was successfully repaired by Ken Warner, M.D.

Berenice, now 18 months, received encouraging news from F.O.B.F.’s team. Her heart is in stable condition and she is developing well. Berenice will continue to visit her cardiologist in San Pedro Sula and one day will require a valve replacement. Our thanks to all the individuals and organizations that have been a part of Berenice’s journey to health.

Updates to “How to Help”

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We recently updated the “How to Help” section of our site. Please take a minute to check it out. Your continued support is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Thank You

Miracle Child

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Martha Christina and her Mom

I’ll never forget first learning about Martha Cristina and her grim diagnosis of kidney cancer. This precious 3 1/2 year old, and her parents, approached our friend, Ana Hernandez, with heart breaking news and a plea for our financial assistance.

We weren’t overly optimistic when we heard the news, but if there was any chance of saving Martha Cristina, supporting her with money was the least we could do. Our church, Pilgrim Congregational UCC (Lexington, MA) soon began praying for her on a regular basis.

For the next 66 weeks Martha Cristina endured chemotherapy treatments. This was immediately followed by 24 weeks of radiation therapy. Certainly this took its tole on the entire family…when cancer strikes one member of the family, it affects all. Martha Cristina’s mom became her constant companion, accompanying her on the bus to travel hours for her treatment. Her dad continued to provide for his family, having to travel hours himself, where he could find employment. Family members stepped in to care for Martha Cristina’s brothers.

I am elated to say that Martha Christina has been in remission for the past year and a half. Witnessing this child’s recovery has truly given me reason to believe that miracles do happen. We continue to visit with Martha Cristina and her family, and are thrilled to see her back in school and enjoying her childhood. She will always remain one of my inspirations.

Martha Christina in remission

Noel’s Extended Family

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Noel and The Andonians

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

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Bobby and Noel

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.

A Little Boy’s Broken Heart

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Noel & BambiThis past Friday night, Noel received a call from home, just before bedtime. This is a fairly routine time of the day when his family checks in with him. I happened to pick up another extension at the same time and could hear his mother crying. I immediately went into Noel’s room and found him crouched on the floor, sobbing into the phone. He quickly shared that his beloved pet deer, “Bambi” had run away. Last summer, Noel had spent two months working and saving for his own deer. After returning from the States, he bought baby Bambi and quickly learned how to bottle feed him. Even though Noel had been raised in a family that has to hunt for survival, he bought this deer to be his special pet, and was the only child around who had one. Noel was so proud of Bambi, and happily showed him off to others. This summer he was once again working and saving with the hopes of buying a female deer (to be named “Princessa”) who could mate with Bambi.

It took a while to console Noel…telling him that maybe Bambi found his way back home. Unfortunately, it didn’t have a happy ending. The next day Noel’s parents called to say they had found Bambi, but someone had thrown a knife at him and he was dead. Ofcourse this news was heart breaking to Noel. Thankfully, Ricky was home to cheer him up and in time Noel was able to move on. Noel told me that “one day he would become president of Honduras and there would be no more killing animals!”  A wonderful dream from an innocent child.

Noel returned home early this morning with new plans for the future. He has decided that it will be too hard to buy another deer and nobody will replace “Bambi.” Now his goal is to buy a cow, which will provide milk for his family…this little guy is growing up, and we couldn’t be more proud.

The Anticipation of Separation

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Noel Cooking

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.

Success Stories

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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!