They believe death was knocking at the door ...

Today we got another update from Ethiopia about Webit, the 7 year old little girl who was admitted to the hospital on Friday.  On Thursday, her condition took a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse and her family and the staff at Trees of Glory care-point were concerned for her very life.  They believe that "death was knocking at the door".  Perhaps the infection in her leg had finally overwhelmed her body. 

Hundreds and hundreds of people from across America and Ethiopia have been praying for Webit as she fights for her life in the hospital and for the doctors as they discern how to treat her condition.  Initially, we got word that her original leg deformity was the result of a type of cancer and yet the doctor felt it was treatable if we could just get her admitted to a hospital. 

Children's Hopechest navigated the complex process, getting the appropriate approvals and stamps to admit a child from rural Ethiopia (from a destitute family that could not pay for her medical care) to a hospital in Addis and committing that her care would be fully funded.  We all wondered if it was too late and we prayed that it wasn't!   Click HERE to read the previous blog post about Webit.

Here is the note we received from the team in Ethiopia today: 
On Friday Webit was admitted to the Hospital and had a successful surgery on her right leg. The doctor was able to cut 10 centimeter bone which bended her leg. They have sent the sample of the bone to Pathological center whether to check it has a tendency to grow again.  According to the doctor the process will take about 20 days. Then they will decide the next step. For now, she is doing well and recovering.

The bone section that was removed was growing abnormally, causing significant pain and difficulty walking.  We don't know with certainty yet if this was a type of cancer (as the doctor originally stated) or another type of bone deformity/abnormality.  When she injured her foot a few months ago, the infection was treated by the witch doctor in her village which caused the infection to spread. 

Oftentimes in rural Ethiopia, treatment by a village witch doctor (also called a shaman or traditional healer) is common practice and can have serious detrimental effects.  Her family was open to modern medical care when they saw that the original treatment worsened her pain and made her nearly lame.  The prayers and concern of the staff members at "Trees of Glory" care-point finally persuaded them to be open to medical intervention. 

Getting Webit to the hospital in Addis Ababa and being able to pay for her medical care was beyond her family's capabilities, so the care-point and Hopechest helped to get her admitted at the hospital and made it clear that her care would be fully funded. 

As of today, there is $3,300 in Webit's medical fund and your prayers and concern have made an incredible difference.  Her family is expressing their deep and heart-felt gratitude - they are feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time! 

Please keep Webit and her family in your prayers as she recovers and as the doctors decide the next steps in her treatment.

To donate to Webit's medical fund, go to http://www.hopechest.org/
Click on GIVE
Under "Choose a Fund", select DESIGNATED GIFT
Enter ET2119000 for the account code
Enter MEDICAL in the notes area.

THANK YOU for your continued prayers and concern for Webit and for your financial gifts that are providing for her immediate medical care and long-term care!!