walk4water and Isaiah's tummy

tomorrow morning, friends of ours in Lancaster are hosting a walk to promote awareness about unclean water in Rwanda. 4-more, the organization that planned the event, exists to find ways to provide all that we take for granted (family, water, life, love) to children who are orphans in Rwanda. One of the founders, Laurel Greer, is a friend and fellow adoptive mama. she's the jam. She and 3 best friends started this organization. ummmm, yes please.

to personalize it, though, today we're starting another round of treatments for Isaiah's stomach issues. 4 antibiotics and a fifth medicine for reflux. we've been home for 7 months and he still has giardia (a water born parasite that causes stomach pain and lots of beyond disgusting diapers. no really, you have no idea how yucky unless you've "been there.") he's had other parasites, too, over the past 8 months.

even sadder than that, this summer I realized more of the extent of Isaiah's digestive issues. it is all interrelated. We've been told that because of his nutrition (because while the sisters do EVERYTHING they can for the kids at Home of Hope...their food/water situation isn't healthy or enough.) anyway, because of what he ate and drank for the 21 months he lived at Home of Hope (and probably what he had before that too) we've been told it will take years for his digestive system to recover. and it might not ever function properly.

This summer the combination of his digestive and emotional issues nearly overwhelmed me. While I was at my adoption wife, Susie's, house (LOVE HER), Isaiah and Lucy stayed in the same room as me. I started hearing Isaiah throw up a little bit pretty regularly. He would throw up in his mouth and then swallow it down. I had noticed this habit before, but he never spit and he's always on the move so I didn't realize how often it happened. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. But after hearing it happen several times within 10 minutes, I said to him, "Isaiah, do you want to spit it out?" and he nodded his head furiously. He ran to the bathroom, spit it out and then walked out with this HUGE grin on his face. He ran over to the bed, gave me a kiss and said, "thank you mommy. Ndagukunda." and he repeated each step: throw up, communicate that he needs to spit, spit, huge grin, "thank you mommy Ndagukunda" until after 10:30 pm. at least 10 times.

on the 9 hour car trip home, he threw up over 20 times into a cup I gave him. it was awful.

now I notice that he throws-up 5-10 times after most meals and snacks. sometimes he remembers to spit it out and sometimes he doesn't. some foods make it worse (we're gluten and dairy free) but it never is absent. it isn't just reflux, but we're starting those meds too to see if it helps some.

kids shouldn't throw up in their mouths or if they do, they should realize that it isn't normal. and they shouldn't think they should swallow it.

walk for water, friends, so that kids don't have to walk MILES for water that looks like this.

so that kids don't have to have stomach pain. So that kids don't throw up in their mouths and swallow it down. so that life expectancy (and enjoyment) in Rwanda is at least a little more just.