Little Ines

Photo: Special orthopedic shoes that allow Ines to walk without pain.

Photo: Father Aurelio and his pet monkey "Pepe Pedro"

Photo: Ines' smiling face and "Hello Kitty" shirt. Such the little girl.

Little Ines is not so little anymore. She is doing great.

I met with Ines, her mother Victoria, Father Aurelio, Gloria and Reverend Pat this afternoon in Pamplona. This is the team that helps to keep the "Ines Special Needs Children Program" running.

Gloria perform home visits, helps to coordinate appointments and transportation and helps to administer the funds for the program. Father Aurelio is always available to help counsel parents and provide a compassionate ear to the needs of people dealing with the very stressful demands of caring for medically fragile children. Reverend Pat is the mortar that keeps all of the bricks together. She helps to make certain that everything keeps running smoothly.

At this time the Special Needs Children Program is helping fund 6 kids in and around the impoverished community of Pamplona - one of the large periurban slums (or Pueblos Jovenes) in Lima. The money, donated from a Carmelite Prayer Group in Panama City, Florida has been a tremendous benefit to the lives of the children and their parents. The poverty that surrounds the people enrolled in the program is suffocating.

This afternoon as we sat in the church where Father Aurelio is the pastor, talking with Victoria and Ines, I noticed a different little girl than I had seen in July of 2009. The Ines I saw today was smiling and laughing. A bit shy, but not afraid to express her opinion. And very much a different physical presence than I had last examined. Certainly, she is thin and a bit frail; but her skin looks fantastic.

The blisters that had covered every square inch of her body the last time I saw her were minimal and isolated to areas where there was friction from her clothing or irritation from pressure. Victoria told us that Ines has not taken any antibiotics for over three months. This in contrast to one year ago - when she was on continuous oral antibiotics and very much a threat for drug resistance.

The Ines of today was not the same little girl. I have got to think that the small donation that goes into the "Special Needs Children Program" every month helped to make a difference.

Certainly she is not "cured." There is no current cure for her condition. She is however, happy. And this is a huge success!