More updates and photos from Day 2!!

We started our day with a meeting with the director of the orphanage who was very grateful for our help. He gave us permission to work with all children in any rooms. This is a very specific answer to prayers, as we have been praying to work with the children in the laying down rooms. We then went and met with the head neurologist who went to see several of the children with us that we wanted to discuss with her. Our experiences in the past have been that children with seizures are generally not moved or touched and this has been the case this trip. We asked for permission to stretch, position, interact and move several children with seizures who desperately needed our help. At first the neurologist denied our request to interact with these children. We were able to give her information on seizures and discuss our knowledge of children at TEAM who also have seizures and receive therapy regularly.  She continued to be hesitant, but finally granted our request.  We will ask later this week if our therapy activities can be carried over by the therapists at Green Forest. Please join us in praying they will have permission to work with these children with seizures like we were able.

Kate spent the morning doing aquatic therapy in the indoor swimming pool. We were able to bring 3 different children with cerebral palsy to the pool. One little boy was in the isolation room and we were told we could go get him.  We jumped at the chance!  This little boy is always in his bed, with his arms and legs in a tight flexed position. He has rarely left his crib or room and at the age of six had never experienced being in water. He was of course very anxious at first. Kate was wonderful to make him feel safe and secure and he ended up relaxing in the water for several minutes.  This was a huge moment today!

Allison was able to visit a little girl we saw last year who desperately needed help to calm her body. She was doing better this year, but still demonstrated aggressive behaviors towards herself and her caregiver says she has gone three days with out sleeping before.  Allison was able to demonstrate calming techniques slowly and by the end of the time with her she was relaxing in her bed.  God gave her a beautiful laugh and hearing this sound filled us with peace and assured us that we are where we are supposed to be this week. This same little girl we have nicknamed “Cinderella.”  At the beginning of our day Kate had tossed in a pair of pink shoes to take to the rooms. At lunch she grabbed a pair of orthotics and put them in the bag as well.  Later in the afternoon while we were working with her we decided she needed a pair of shoes and orthotics for sensory input. Amazingly the orthotics fit into the pink shoes perfectly and slid onto Cinderella’s foot like a glass slipper!  It has been amazing how God has provided in every detail.

Amy and Allison went to one of the laying down rooms around lunch while Kate was still in the pool. We were thankful that the timing of our trip happened right at lunch. Two of the children were laying flat in their beds while eating with their heads turned and bottles propped to the side. Amy immediately started making suggestions of propping the children up, bringing their heads to midline while eating, and was able to go over how the swallow works and how the importance of the children eating safely helps to prevent choking and sickness.  We told them we would bring them wedges but that it was possible to prop them up immediately using pillows in the room.  They were open to these suggestions and propped the boy upright immediately. We are so thankful that we got to observe feeding time and are hopeful that these suggestions will prevent the children from being sick.  One of the little boys in this same room was constantly mouthing objects and his hands. We were able to give him a teether and he loved chewing on it!  At the same time Allison worked with him on maintaining his grasp to hold the teether because this sweet boy loves to throw things!

Tuesday was a great day and we are excited for the rest of the week. Thank you for all the prayers.

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