Patrick is 9 years old yet a few weeks ago, only weighed 7.2 kg when he came to stay at the O Center. According to the charts, he should weigh about 30 kg. Like his sister, Patrick has a number of issues that accompany his malnutrition. He has Cerebral Palsy, among other challenges.
A couple of weeks ago while in our Respite Care program at the Center, at three o’clock in the morning, his mom discovered him unconscious. He was rushed from the O Center to Machakos Hospital and placed on oxygen, IVs and a feeding tube.
Faith (Patrick’s sister) went to stay with granny. She also lived at the O Center and is severely malnourished and has some of the same conditions as Patrick
It was determined that Patrick had a bacterial infection. Last week, he, his sister Faith and mom returned to the O Center to continue his improvement and close attention.
Today we see that Faith has gained 900 grams since returning to stay in the Respite Program at the Center. Patrick has gained 600 grams. This is due to frequent feedings and the food supplements we were able to obtain (PlumpyNut). In just the last week, their overall gains are a bit more. Patrick is now 9.1 kg and Faith is 8.1 kg. They see the Nutritionist at the O Center twice a week, who monitors the progress. At some point, the two children will return to their home. Their mom will also return home with more insight and tools to care for her fragile children.
We currently have 34 children in our Therapy Program and 4 living at the Center in our Respite Program. For more on the O Center, see HERE