15-month old Dawina was brought to Grace by her mother Mackinda Ornelus on September 25, 2015.
For months, Dawina suffered from a persistent and violent cough. "All day and all night she would cough," said her mother. "There was no relief." Mackinda wanted to seek care sooner, but didn't know how she would pay for medical care. They live in a slum area called Martissant, just west of downtown Port-au-Prince. Like many of Haiti's poor and impoverished, the family sometimes lives on as little as $2 per day.
A neighbor, hearing of the family's health struggle, told Mackinda to bring Dawina to Grace, where she could be treated at no cost. She described it as "a place where people are healed."
At Grace, Dawina tested positive for tuberculosis (TB) and was immediately admitted to the inpatient ward. Dawina continues to receive treatment for TB, which on average lasts 3 months.
Her mother visits her every day, entrusting Dawina's care to the loving mamas. Without Grace, Mackinda shutters to think of what could have happened to her daughter, as, after HIV/AIDS, TB is the greatest cause of mortality in Haiti.
"God bless, Grace Children's Hospital," she says.
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