Mackenzie's Ears

Today I took Mackenzie to an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist in order to have her ears evaluated.  Mackenzie had an untreated ear infection during the month of April, or so I was told by the orphanage staff.  The doctor said that Mackenzie's ears have gone untreated a lot longer than that.  Toward the end of April, her orphanage sent her to the hospital where she stayed in-patient for 8 days.  They released her on the Friday before her Gotcha Day.  On Mackenzie's Gotcha Day, I was handed a severely malnourished, extremely terrified, and very sick little girl.

On our day 2 of being together, Mackenzie's left ear began to bleed.  I called our Pediatrician's office back home, and they told me to take her to the ER.  I was able to convince the doctor to give me an oral antibiotic for her, even though I learned that in China they do not give children oral antibiotics, and that the antibiotic he prescribed is not good for ear infections.  Two days later, Mackenzie's right ear began to bleed.  Everyone assured me that the bleeding was a "good sign" because that meant Mackenzie's eardrums had ruptured and that she would be in less pain.  Mackenzie had several days of high fevers, lots of pus draining from her ears, and of course the blood.

Sweet baby girl...

We arrived home last Friday, and I took Mackenzie into the Pediatrician's office on Saturday.  The nurse took a swab of her ear, and sent it away to be tested.  A few days later I was given the results that Mackenzie has Ecoli and two other resistant forms of bacteria in her ears.  The Pediatrician put Mackenzie on a strong oral antibiotic and topical ear drops to treat the infection.  The ENT told me today that Mackenzie's right eardrum has a gaping hole, and he could not even see into the left eardrum because of the extreme infection.  He filled her left ear with an ointment, and said he wants to see her again in a week.  If the infection has not cleared by next Tuesday, Mackenzie will need to be hospitalized for a week in order for them to administer IV antibiotics.  The doctor has concerns about how much hearing damage has already been done, and how much more will occur as we continue to treat the infection.  Once her infection clears, the doctor also feels that Mackenzie will need surgery to patch the holes in her eardrums.

Perhaps what shocked me the most today, was when the doctor thanked me for "saving" Mackenzie's life.  He told me that because of the severity of her infection, and the fact that she has gaping holes in her eardrums, Mackenzie was only a few weeks away from her untimely death.

Mackenzie has a long road ahead of her.  Her legs and feet are bowed and disfigured from severe Rickets.  Today they attempted to draw her blood in order to determine how much Vitamin D she will need to receive by injection each week.  Unfortunately, Mackenzie's veins are like those of an infant, and after 30 minutes of poking and prodding while my baby girl screamed bloody murder in my lap, I told them they were done trying.  Enough is enough.  On the upside, Mackenzie has already gained 7 pounds in only three weeks, which brings her to the 3rd percentile for weight.  In terms of her height, Mackenzie is no where near even making it onto the charts.  We will also have to work with various specialists to deal with her developmental and speech delays.  The only thing that I can promise this sweet little girl, is that she will never have to do any of this alone...mommy and papa will always be there!

Tonight, as I sit here feeling like the most blessed woman on this planet to have "almost" all of the beds in our house filled with beautiful little girls, I can't help but wonder...

• How many children will die tonight in their orphanage crib alone because they were not given the medicine they needed?

• How many children will go to bed tonight with starving tummies?

•  How many children will never experience unconditional love?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of those questions is...

way too many.

If Jacques and I can do this, so can you!

Please consider blessing your family more than you even thought

possible...and let's get all of these children

HOME!