Oliver

         One of our younger children, Oliver (6 years old), started having convulsions brought on by malaria last Thursday night.  They first treated her in a Budaka clinic, and then we rushed her to a hospital in Mbale as she wasn’t responding to the medication quickly enough.  As she continued to convulse, kicking me, ripping at the clothes of Aunt Betty (who was holding her in her lap), all of us in the car were scared, wondering if she would even make it to the hospital.  We just kept trying to hold her head away from the door, where she could bang it, and continued praying.

         Thankfully, the doctor got Oliver into the hospital immediately on arrival and was able to get her the needed treatment.  Her convulsions stopped by about midnight of the same night we brought her to the hospital.  Our nurse at Cornerstone, Mary, was able to stay the night with Oliver and make sure she was okay. 

         I then had the opportunity to spend all of Friday in the hospital with Oliver, while the nurses continued to give her medicine through her IV.  I taught her Tic Tac Toe, we went on I Spy walks around the hospital grounds, I let her play games on my phone, and we watched movies on my laptop.  (This was my first time to spend an entire day in the hospital- they really are boring, but vitally important, places!).  

         Oliver ended up staying two nights total in the hospital and came back ready to play with her friends last Saturday. Many of the other Cornerstone children had expressed concern that Oliver wasn’t ever coming back, so seeing her allayed their fears.  The other kids showered her with attention and there wasn’t any shortage of smiles or laughter that afternoon.  It was great to see our Cornerstone family reunited after such a scary illness took Oliver away for a few days.  I am happy to be able to write that Oliver is fine now. :)