Sweet Little Grace

Grace is a little girl that we have all fallen in love with.  Several months ago she came into the hospital having some heart dysrhythmias and it was determined that she needed to go to the U.S. for heart surgery.  While all of that was being worked on her father, Komi, collapsed while working here at the hospital.  Komi was one of our lab techs and was a wonderful Christian man who was always joyful and such a hard worker.  After his first incidence, he was resuscitated and miraculously survived.  It was decided that he too would need serious surgical intervention to correct his heart problem.  Six weeks after his first cardiac arrest, he collapsed again at home and was not able to be revived.

Just a day or so after his death, Dr Kelly (our missionary pediatrician who has been working to get Grace to the U.S.), got word that all the paperwork had gone through and that a hospital in the States was accepting Grace and they would do the surgery she needs to live.

My girls met Grace just a few weeks ago and they go to school with her.  Well, they have just clicked with her and have become good little friends.  They can't communicate (she speaks Kabiye and just a little French) but they don't seem to let that hinder them.

When Eliza and Olivia heard Grace was going to the US and would be flying on a plane they wanted to do something for her.  So we went through the things we have here and made her a little bag with crayons, a coloring book, glow sticks (for when it gets dark on the plane), some stickers, a little doll and some fruit snacks.  Yesterday evening we went to visit Grace at her home and give her the little bag.  At first, Grace was a little shy.  I think she was surprised at all the Yovos (white people) at her house.  But soon, they all grabbed hands and went to play on a big pile of dirt.  There was lots of giggling!

 

As a write this, little Grace is boarding a plan in Lome to head to the US for her heart surgery.  She had to leave behind her mom and little brother.  I cried the other night as I thought about her getting on that plane and how very scary it will be for her.  I worried she wouldn't know how to use the potty (remember she doesn't have plumbing or running water) and if she would know how to eat the food they serve on the plane.  Would she be scared when the planes takes off??  So I called Dr. Kelly to get some details!!  She told me that Grace will have an escort (an off duty flight attendant) to accompany her all the way to Indianapolis where she will have her surgery Tuesday.  But please pray for Grace.  The organization that is funding her surgery has arranged for some Togolese people who live close to the hospital (and who know Kabiye) to be there to help with communicating with her.  But it just breaks my heart to think of her being in such a different place, with different looking people, a different language, different food, freezing cold and without anyone she knows.  And it just breaks my heart that her mom had to send her off after just losing her husband.

Would you please pray for Grace.  Her surgery is this Tuesday.  Please pray that the Lord will allow the surgery to be successful, that Grace would do well and that she can return home quickly so that her family can continue to be a testimony for Christ.