This is my Gabriel. He came to Kidane Mehret Care Home (the home where I volunteered) on Valentine’s Day weekend (February 2010). He was a full term baby who was very malnourished. He could not regulate his body temperature nor could he keep food in. I was determined that this baby would live, so each day I would arrive and unwrap him from the water bottles that were my substitute during the night. By the time I finished unwrapping him he was freezing cold. I would then tuck him inside of my shirt for “kangaroo care”. At first, the workers were not sure of what I was doing, but they eventually caught on and their respect level for me grew by leaps and bounds. Gabriel was inside of my shirt all day unless he was eating or being changed. He started out at 2 kilos (4.4 lbs) and day by day grew and developed and maintained his body temperature. It is because of situations such as this I feel called back to Ethiopia; to be the voice of the voiceless. The photo below shows him last week as a friend is sending me updated photos.
He is a true living miracle.
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