A FAME Miracle: John's Journey
John's father wears a smile while presenting a chicken to FAME as a gesture of gratitude for saving his child's life.
It's always heartwarming when we experience miracles at FAME—instances where the challenge seemed impossible to overcome, where our entire team comes together and succeeds in achieving a positive outcome for the patient through their commitment, hard work and collective skills.
This holiday season, we wanted to share a FAME miracle with you. A story of a three-month-old baby who arrived severely dehydrated and malnourished from a congenital abnormality. Our dedicated FAME team put in round-the-clock efforts to ensure the baby's survival. To express his thanks to the team, the baby's father gave FAME a chicken!
Originating from Loliondo, located 160 miles from FAME, John's* family noticed frequent vomiting when he was only one month old.
“At first, I didn’t pay much attention to the vomiting, thinking it was just part of the learning process as he was still getting used to breastfeeding. However, when the vomiting persisted for the next two months and his stomach began to swell, we became concerned and decided to bring him to FAME.”
At FAME, following thorough examinations, John was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, a condition where the passage between the stomach and small intestine narrows, making it difficult for food to pass through. It often causes severe vomiting in babies and typically requires surgical intervention for correction. If performed early, these surgeries are usually uncomplicated. Unfortunately, John had gone so long without nutrition and was very sick on arrival to FAME. This is the story of John's resilience and survival.
“When the doctors told us that he needed surgery, we were scared but held onto the hope that it would cure him. He had lost so much weight as he couldn’t keep any food down and he was very, very small despite being born full-term at 9 lbs. I even wondered how the doctor would be able to perform surgery on such a tiny body. However, they successfully performed the surgery and everything seemed fine, but then he fell ill again.”
Unfortunately, after minimal nutrition for the first few months of his life, John’s stomach and gut were quite fragile following surgery. About a week after the first surgery, he took a turn for the worse and the FAME team approached his parents about a second surgery to save his life. His parents were distraught. They turned to a FAME nurse from their own community who spoke their mother tongue and encouraged them to consent to the surgery.
John when he first arrived at FAME, malnourished and dehydrated
“We were heartbroken, especially my husband; he started crying and became very angry. At first, he refused the surgery, saying we had already put John through so much and he didn’t think he could handle another operation. But FAME’s medical team and one Maasai nurse in particular talked to him a lot. They advised him and explained that this surgery could give John a better chance at fighting the problem. Eventually, he agreed and I’m really glad he did!”
John and his mother share a laugh
“We are thankful for everything FAME has done for our son. The entire team worked so hard to make sure he stayed alive. Many times during all this, I believed that John could not make it, but the doctors continued to give me hope. Now, he’s getting better, smiling and feeding well, which makes me very happy! I thank God. This has truly been a miracle.”
John's mom and dad smile as they hold their son in FAME's Inpatient ward. They are relieved knowing that he will be okay!
“This is a perfect example of teamwork and collaboration at FAME. The baby is alive because of the efforts of the surgeon, radiology team, anesthesia team, social workers, nurses in both surgical and medical wards and the medical team. Even though he arrived very sick and his parents were losing hope, we all believed this baby could survive with the right care.”
Editors Note: The FAME team is committed to caring for every patient that comes through the FAME gates. The work never stops, and miracles happen here every day. We want to express our gratitude for your unwavering support for our work. You make it all possible! Asante sana!
*The patient’s name has been changed to protect their privacy and permission was secured to share their story. This interview has been translated from Swahili to English.