by Joy Casey

It was a difficult delivery the morning of March 11, 2022. The baby was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit leaving the child’s mother to recuperate in the crowded ward. When the doctor came to inform the mother her baby had hydrocephalus, she was nowhere to be found. It was discovered she gave a false name and address and had simply walked out of the busy hospital shortly after giving birth. The baby’s primary care nurse named her Simerra. The little one was in the hospital 19 days and then was discharged into the capable hands of the nurse at Joyful Place orphanage.

Simerra’s head continued to enlarge, she was lethargic and not eating well.

When Joy visited the orphanage in May, arrangements were made for her to be seen by a specialist in a large hospital.

It was determined to put a shunt in to drain the fluid. After a week’s stay in the hospital after surgery, baby Simerra was discharged back to the orphanage June 24th.

To everyone’s delight, her head circumference has substantially decreased, she is much more alert, and her appetite has picked up. She is like a new little baby girl and the nurse and nannies are rejoicing over the change!

Our prayer for this little one is for 100% recovery with no residual brain damage. We are also praying for an Ethiopian family to adopt her. Generally, children with medical issues will not be adopted, but we are believing God has a wonderful plan for this precious life. With the help of our faithful friends, we can afford Simerra every opportunity for a normal life including, with God’s provision, her very own mommy and daddy.