Dear Friends,

I wanted to update you all on Widlaine’s progress.  She arrived safely on Tuesday night at the Charlotte airport where Teresa and I picked her up and took her to our home.  She was extremely weak but overjoyed to be in a safe place where she could find help for her health problems.  Wednesday morning, she was off to see Dr Flannery and Dr Ferdinands at their office in Huntersville. Examinations and tests followed throughout the day. On Thursday afternoon she met with Dr Wyatt Fowler, a well-known general surgeon with Novant and a veteran of multiple trips to Haiti with Give Hope.  Early next week she will meet with an OBGYN specialist after which a determination will be made about next steps in her treatment.  
 
In the meantime, her primary focus is on nutrition and hydration. The circumstances in Cuba are quite difficult as it relates to the availability of medicines, food and clean water, so for someone who was already sick from other causes it became doubly hard. She constantly expresses her appreciation for being here in the states and for what Pastor Louis and Give Hope did to make it all possible. Though she has continued to be in much pain, the infection in her incision appears to have cleared up because of the antibiotics treatment she received while in Port au Prince. That is a short story worth telling:
 
For the last 7 years, Give Hope has supported the medical education of Esaie Despre at University Lumiere in Port au Prince. Esaie is now in his residency and expects to become Dr. Esaie Despre in the coming year. When Widlaine arrived in PAP from Cuba, we asked Esaie to travel to see her and examine her incision.  Using the motorcycle that Give Hope purchased for him to commute to and from school, he jumped right into action.  His examination revealed the infected incision, and he used his network of contacts to secure antibiotics to begin her treatment.  By the time she arrived in the states, the infection had cleared up.  We are thankful to Esaie for his service and to God for the resources that have made it possible to prepare him to become a doctor. 
 
We are thankful to you for your continued support of these inspiring young people. One last thing: Widlaine’s closest friend and cousin is Ernise Gedeon, who grew up with her at Cambry and has lived with Teresa and me for the last few years. Ernise is in school at Wingate University, where she recently made the Dean’s list with a 3.76 GPA.  Yesterday, she arrived here from school to see Widlaine for the first time in 3 years.  I cannot adequately describe their joy in that moment, but I was blessed to witness it.  Thank you for all you do to make miracle after miracle come true.

All the best,     
Roger and Angela