I was not sure we’d want to tell the story of little Francisco . . . at 10 days old, on the
last day of the recent brigade, his mother walked 2 ½ hours to the clinic. Little Francisco had been fine for 7 days, but had become listless and had not breastfed for nearly 2 days. When I walked across the clinic to see what the fuss was about, I noticed that he did not breath for the first 5 seconds I laid eyes on him. Looking ashen and severely ill from infection and dehydration, Dr. Tania quickly determined that he needed more than we could provide at the clinic. Miraculously, she was able to get an IV, and we gave a first dose of antibiotics. We headed down the mountain with this gravely ill child, knowing he could or would die at any moment. Arriving at the ER in record time, the doctor who greeted us was a friend! He quickly got care started, but baby Francisco worsened. To complete the miracle, the baby was transferred to the teaching hospital in the big city, was on a breathing machine, survived pneumonia, and then went home with his mother 2 weeks after all this started and is now thriving!!! Your support of Dr. Castillo and the clinic allowed for this child to live in a place where access to care is critical. Without the clinic and it’s wonderful staff, Francisco would be a sad statistic.