Hope for Haiti: A Little Boy with a Big Boo-Boo

** Warning** The pictures accompanying this post are a little graphic and the squemish might not want to view them. If you think you'll be grossed out- don't scroll down.

Some neighbors brought a little boy, actually he was little more than a baby- almost 2 years old, to Rusty asking for help. Something heavy had fallen on his hand and smashed his finger- several days earlier! It's not that they hadn't tried to get help for him, but in Haiti unlike the US medical care isn't readily available. You might have to travel some distance to reach a clinic, and then there may or may not be someone with experience (let alone a Dr.) there to help you. If you can find a Dr and get a prescribed treatment, then you still will have to search for the meds to treat the illness, sometimes in several towns or villages, before finding everything you need. Hospitals have waiting lists.
Anyway, this family found someone to treat their child, but the treatment was not good. When Rusty first saw him he had a few stitches visible, but also exposed bone, and the end of the finger was black. Rusty thought it had been crudely cauterized, but later learned that it was simply dead tissue. He took the child to our friends at another mission where to ask advice about possible amputation. Britt is getting really good at sutures and has helped with amputating fingers before, but she recommended Lori at Cazale for this little guy. She called Lori and Rusty made arrangements to take the baby to Cazale the next morning (7 days after his injury).
The Moise family have been doing mission work in Haiti for many years and have an amazing ministry in the mountains at Cazale. Lori & staff see hundreds of patients each day. They have other ministries as well, including a rescue ministry for desperately at-risk children. The trip up to Cazale is an adventure in itself. It is a rough, steep mountain path (road). But people begin arriving the night before in hopes of getting in and receiving care at Cazale.
Lori and her wonderful staff & family agreed to see this child even though the clinic was not open that day and did a fantastic job of cleaning up behind the other "treatment" and amputating just the end of his finger so he can heal up right.
Can you imagine having an injury like that and not getting good care for a week?
Without pain meds?
On a baby?
As you can see, this isn't a work we can do alone. We have to all pull together to even make a small difference. And still we are nothing, only with God's help, grace & protection can we do anything.
OK.... now the pictures ;~)

This is our little guy and his uncle.

Before