Christopher is the youngest of seventeen children in a big, blended family, “and was sponsored when he most needed it,” says Br. Marcelin, our Haiti South site director. He was six years old at the time.
“He still remembers the moments of joy and happiness he has experienced with his family members at the time of being part of the sponsorships,” Br. Marcelin says.
His older brothers and sisters were always great helps for his parents, Dadiac and Raymond, and most have now started their own families across Haiti. But his eldest sister, Stephanie, named herself “the adopted mother of the group.” She keeps a loving and protective eye on Christopher and her youngest siblings. Even though his Chalice sponsor is a tremendous support, Stephanie likes making sure everyone has what they need to complete their education. Now 13, Christopher understands that she’s right – his education is his path to success.
When he was 11, Christopher started getting mysterious headaches and pain all over his body. His parents took him to the city hospital. The doctors were stymied. Christopher needed more specialized care, but that meant private expenses.
Raymond approached the Haiti South site office for advice and help. When the site staff learned of Christopher’s needs, they arranged for him to go to their trusted clinic. The doctors there could see he was short of breath and feverish, and worried it might be a cardiac condition. They referred him immediately to a more specialized health centre in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Thanks to supporters of Chalice’s critical needs program, Christopher went to the capital, where they indeed found a heart condition, and they transferred him to a new hospital for advanced care. Christopher needed open heart surgery that cannot be performed in Haiti.
Thankfully, Br. Marcelin and the Haiti South team connected Christopher with an American charity dedicated to helping Haitian children access life-saving cardiac surgery.
At first, they tried to get Christopher to the United States for his surgery, but then the program found him an opening in a hospital in Giza, Egypt! Ever since he’s been home, the Haiti South team have ensured he’s made his follow-up appointments in Haiti, gotten all his prescriptions, and can bulk up on nutritious food.
‘’I am really grateful to the sponsorship program and the sponsors from Canada,” Christopher says, “who continue to provide me with their supports for many years.’’
‘’I have no words for everything you have done for me in the moment I needed it the most, you are always in my prayers. Thank you very much, dear sponsors.’’
You can support children and families experiencing grave medical conditions through our critical needs program. See whose life you could change today!