I have two volunteer friends at the hospital in Barlad this week. The four children who went to the Center for Children with Special Needs (Ion, Marius, Alina and Ionut) are now at the hospital. It is unclear what will happen with them next but except for Ionut they are much less disabled than the children at the Center and it wasn't the right spot for them. So this is mostly good news for them in the short term at least as they are now with some familiar faces.
Petre, who went home, has already ended up with CPS as it didn't work out at home. Not clear if the parents contacted CPS or if CPS discovered a problem. Anyway, he ended up at the hospital to see the Dr. and had a joyful reunion with his buddy, Ion. See the link to Pat's blog below.
http://patbiswanger.blogspot.com/2011/04/reunited-and-it-feels-so-good.html?showComment=1303425316296#c2938996292963564731
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Home
I've arrived home safely. Yesterday (was it only yesterday?), Dorel drove Dan, Cathy and I to Bucharest. Cathy and I had to laugh as it was sunny when we left Tutova but cloudy by the time we got to Bucharest. We are jinxes for bad weather I guess.
Spent yesterday afternoon and last night at a hotel by the airport. I thought about going into the city but I was just too tired and still somewhat overwhelmed by the events of the past 3 weeks. So I watched movies on my computer and read and finished typing up the team journal and got it out to everyone on the team.
Usually I'm quite anxious upon my return to make a photo book of my pictures from the trip. I think this time looking at those little faces will be a lot sadder. There is always concern about the childrens' future but I think this time it is even more worrisome.
I'm not certain if I will go back to Romania to volunteer or not. The volunteer opportunities are changing and I might like to try a new program in a new location. Although if Gaby surfaced somewhere I'd be back there in a minute! Will wait and see.
Thanks to everyone who emailed me with your support throughout these difficult weeks.
Spent yesterday afternoon and last night at a hotel by the airport. I thought about going into the city but I was just too tired and still somewhat overwhelmed by the events of the past 3 weeks. So I watched movies on my computer and read and finished typing up the team journal and got it out to everyone on the team.
Usually I'm quite anxious upon my return to make a photo book of my pictures from the trip. I think this time looking at those little faces will be a lot sadder. There is always concern about the childrens' future but I think this time it is even more worrisome.
I'm not certain if I will go back to Romania to volunteer or not. The volunteer opportunities are changing and I might like to try a new program in a new location. Although if Gaby surfaced somewhere I'd be back there in a minute! Will wait and see.
Thanks to everyone who emailed me with your support throughout these difficult weeks.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Last Day
I have to say our last day at the Children's Hospital in Barlad was a much easier day than our last day at the clinic in Tutova. While the latter was an ending and quite sad, the former is hopeful. We had a good-bye party with Dr. Magda, Dr. Eva and some of the staff. Dr. Magda was very appreciative and clearly looks forward to having volunteers continue at the facility. They tell us there are plans to renovate the neuro psych floor that we were on in the next few months. Dr. Eva agreed with us that improving the bathrooms is a priority! (Hint for future volunteers at the hospital: use the bathroom on the 2nd floor, same floor as Dr. Magda's office, but be sure to bring toilet paper.)
Cristi and Paula both had good days today. Cristi was clearly feeling better and back to his old self. Paula had a very good day. A fair number of smiles and MANY walks up and down the hallway. She seems to understand she can't go into every room like she did at the clinic. She knows exactly which door is the playroom. She is still a bit off schedule and sleeping from about 3:30 to past 5 but that is to be expected.
I realized last night I forgot to write about Raul but was too tired to power up the computer again. He hasn't been doing so well; not eating much. Dan told Dr. Magda about Caroline's efforts to help Raul and she seemed very supportive. Raul has a new roommate: a little girl that we think is only a few weeks old who was born without arms and legs. She has such a pretty face. Caroline said Raul seemed a bit jealous when the little girl was crying and Caroline picked her up. At breakfast, Caroline showed us a beautiful photo book she did of Raul to give to his parents. Caroline and her mother plan to meet with his parents when her mother arrives.
We also had a new girl in the room with Cristi and Paula. She is 15 years old and has severe cerebral palsy. She is 15 years old and quite thin. She seems to be able to see and hear and responded to our voices and stroking her cheek. We put the mirror and felt book in her crib for her to have something to look at.We also would put the lightly scented hand sanitizer on our hands and put them up to her face for her to smell.
We heard Ana Maria and Nicoletta would be back from Iasi today but they hadn't arrived by the time we left. No word on Celine and how things went for her in Bucharest. Hopefully she will be at the hospital next week and volunteers can learn more. We also hope all goes well with Cleo, especially if she ends up having surgery.
As I understand it the next team will be all experienced volunteers. There will be 6 people total of which 1 will be here for the first week only and Caroline's mother for the last 2 weeks; so 5 at any one time. It is sounding to me like GV will end up having volunteers at multiple sites in the community going forward and that volunteer experiences will be more varied. I'm sure it will take awhile to evolve but long-term I trust it will be in the best interest of the community and program.Mihaela and Bud seemed to get a lot accomplished in the last 2 days to establish a new GV program here going forward.
For those of us who volunteered in Tutova, the children and staff will always have a special place in our hearts. GV did an amazing job of transforming the clinic over the past 12 years, and now others will benefit from GV's resources and the volunteer's services.
Our team had many wonderful thoughts for the day. Here are a few that seem especially appropriate to the circumstances:
Cristi and Paula both had good days today. Cristi was clearly feeling better and back to his old self. Paula had a very good day. A fair number of smiles and MANY walks up and down the hallway. She seems to understand she can't go into every room like she did at the clinic. She knows exactly which door is the playroom. She is still a bit off schedule and sleeping from about 3:30 to past 5 but that is to be expected.
I realized last night I forgot to write about Raul but was too tired to power up the computer again. He hasn't been doing so well; not eating much. Dan told Dr. Magda about Caroline's efforts to help Raul and she seemed very supportive. Raul has a new roommate: a little girl that we think is only a few weeks old who was born without arms and legs. She has such a pretty face. Caroline said Raul seemed a bit jealous when the little girl was crying and Caroline picked her up. At breakfast, Caroline showed us a beautiful photo book she did of Raul to give to his parents. Caroline and her mother plan to meet with his parents when her mother arrives.
We also had a new girl in the room with Cristi and Paula. She is 15 years old and has severe cerebral palsy. She is 15 years old and quite thin. She seems to be able to see and hear and responded to our voices and stroking her cheek. We put the mirror and felt book in her crib for her to have something to look at.We also would put the lightly scented hand sanitizer on our hands and put them up to her face for her to smell.
We heard Ana Maria and Nicoletta would be back from Iasi today but they hadn't arrived by the time we left. No word on Celine and how things went for her in Bucharest. Hopefully she will be at the hospital next week and volunteers can learn more. We also hope all goes well with Cleo, especially if she ends up having surgery.
As I understand it the next team will be all experienced volunteers. There will be 6 people total of which 1 will be here for the first week only and Caroline's mother for the last 2 weeks; so 5 at any one time. It is sounding to me like GV will end up having volunteers at multiple sites in the community going forward and that volunteer experiences will be more varied. I'm sure it will take awhile to evolve but long-term I trust it will be in the best interest of the community and program.Mihaela and Bud seemed to get a lot accomplished in the last 2 days to establish a new GV program here going forward.
For those of us who volunteered in Tutova, the children and staff will always have a special place in our hearts. GV did an amazing job of transforming the clinic over the past 12 years, and now others will benefit from GV's resources and the volunteer's services.
Our team had many wonderful thoughts for the day. Here are a few that seem especially appropriate to the circumstances:
"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think, but the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I’ll always be with you." Winnie the Pooh (Thanks to Terry McCarter who shared this quote on a prior team with me.)
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| Paula |
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| Cristi |
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| Raul |
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Next to last day
Our girls weren't back from Iasi today so we only had Cristi and Paula left from our Tutova group of children. We spent some time with other children on the floor. Caroline has become quite popular in the "camera de joaca" or playroom. Mind you the playroom consists of, as of today, two new black leather sofas, a table and a tv. There are some paintings on the walls and some efforts made for the room to look cheerful. But no toys. So we take some of our toys in there.
This morning Cristi and I spent a lot of time with him sitting on a very small square green table that Dan decided reminded him of the red sofa at Tutova. I had to keep banging away at the table or he would take my hand and tell me in his own special way to keep at it. Turns out he has strep throat so they have put an IV in his left arm so he can get periodic IV antibiotic treatments. He seemed to be feeling better today although he slept a lot this afternoon.
Paula had a good morning but a not great afternoon. We think that the change in schedule is affecting her and that she may not have slept enough mid-day. We also think she was hungry. We tried all our tricks including me making a humming noise that would calm her down for a few minutes and then she would start crying again. She finally fell asleep which is what she needed.
Big Andreea was leaving as we arrived this morning. We heard Cleo's parents signed the papers agreeing to her surgery and that the surgery may occur next week. There is a 2-year old girl with hydrocephalus on the floor and while her head is much smaller than Cleo's she is more impaired. The mother is 27 and has 4 other children at home and a husband working in Spain. The mother was asking us about Cleo and seems to want to fight for her daughter but not sure how much can be done for her. The Dr. on the floor asked us to individually spend some time with the mother and baby to provide her with some support.
The hospital served us lunch today in a nice little dining area. This was arranged for by the Director of the hospital. Bud and Mihaela met with her and she told them she was very appreciative of our work. So we seem to have made a good first impression. I'm thinking maybe Big Andreea's grandmother told the mothers on the floor about the volunteers at Tutova so maybe that helped. I told Bud we might have had some "street cred."
We had dinner with Bud, Mihaela and Dan at the creepy doll, I mean Allona, restaurant. I want to note publicly that Cathy had the willpower to resist dessert unlike Bud, Dan, Caroline and I. I'm going to have to live at the gym when I get home.
Bud and Mihaela told us about some of their meetings today. It sounds like there are a few possibilities for other host organization relationships and like Global could end up at several places in Barlad. We will see what works out. The next team will be staying at the Occident so Caroline has to move this Saturday.
AND we heard from Mihaela, that Celine is coming back from Bucharest to the hospital in Barlad before going home or....TBD. Hope she arrives tomorrow and I get to see her before leaving! I did troll the general pediatric floor today looking for any of our Tutova children but didn't find anyone. Not that I want our children to be at the hospital but you never know.
Not many pictures today given our smaller numbers, Cristi's long nap, Paula's afternoon melt down, and
that we can't post pictures of other children at the hospital Hopefully, I'll have a few more tomorrow.
This morning Cristi and I spent a lot of time with him sitting on a very small square green table that Dan decided reminded him of the red sofa at Tutova. I had to keep banging away at the table or he would take my hand and tell me in his own special way to keep at it. Turns out he has strep throat so they have put an IV in his left arm so he can get periodic IV antibiotic treatments. He seemed to be feeling better today although he slept a lot this afternoon.
Paula had a good morning but a not great afternoon. We think that the change in schedule is affecting her and that she may not have slept enough mid-day. We also think she was hungry. We tried all our tricks including me making a humming noise that would calm her down for a few minutes and then she would start crying again. She finally fell asleep which is what she needed.
Big Andreea was leaving as we arrived this morning. We heard Cleo's parents signed the papers agreeing to her surgery and that the surgery may occur next week. There is a 2-year old girl with hydrocephalus on the floor and while her head is much smaller than Cleo's she is more impaired. The mother is 27 and has 4 other children at home and a husband working in Spain. The mother was asking us about Cleo and seems to want to fight for her daughter but not sure how much can be done for her. The Dr. on the floor asked us to individually spend some time with the mother and baby to provide her with some support.
The hospital served us lunch today in a nice little dining area. This was arranged for by the Director of the hospital. Bud and Mihaela met with her and she told them she was very appreciative of our work. So we seem to have made a good first impression. I'm thinking maybe Big Andreea's grandmother told the mothers on the floor about the volunteers at Tutova so maybe that helped. I told Bud we might have had some "street cred."
We had dinner with Bud, Mihaela and Dan at the creepy doll, I mean Allona, restaurant. I want to note publicly that Cathy had the willpower to resist dessert unlike Bud, Dan, Caroline and I. I'm going to have to live at the gym when I get home.
Bud and Mihaela told us about some of their meetings today. It sounds like there are a few possibilities for other host organization relationships and like Global could end up at several places in Barlad. We will see what works out. The next team will be staying at the Occident so Caroline has to move this Saturday.
AND we heard from Mihaela, that Celine is coming back from Bucharest to the hospital in Barlad before going home or....TBD. Hope she arrives tomorrow and I get to see her before leaving! I did troll the general pediatric floor today looking for any of our Tutova children but didn't find anyone. Not that I want our children to be at the hospital but you never know.
Not many pictures today given our smaller numbers, Cristi's long nap, Paula's afternoon melt down, and
that we can't post pictures of other children at the hospital Hopefully, I'll have a few more tomorrow.
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| Cristi loves the piano |
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| Paula dancing this morning |
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| Cristi on the new black sofa in the playroom |
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| Paula in the playroom |
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Human Jumperoo
No need for an exercise routine. I am perfecting the art of being a human jumperoo for Paula without too much damage to my back. Fortunately she has had other diversions, until this afternoon when her boyfriends, the older boys who have been regular visitors to our room, left the hospital.
Cleo left for Iasi today and Ana Maria and Nico have not returned so we only had Raul, Cristi and Paula, and of course our new friends. Unfortunately I can't post the picture of Caroline reading to the boy who must be about 12 and is almost as tall as she is as he was sitting on her lap. She read through every book we had. It didn't seem to matter to him that they were all in English.
When Mihaela started talking to the younger of the two boys we discovered that he had been at Tutova and left there about 5 years ago. Sounds like he has been in several foster families. It was so cute watching him smile as he talked to Mihaela. This also explains why he has been so gentle and sweet with the little ones in our room, especially Cleo and why when Caroline showed him pictures on her camera he said "Tutova."
Cristi was a bit fussier today than the past two days - almost as if he couldn't quite figure out what would make him happy. I think he is off his usual routine. He can't get down on the floor and crawl into corners or under things as he did at the clinic. He did eat 2 and 1/2 yogurts. He was so tired this afternoon and finally was able to sleep.
The piano that Jane brought has been such a great toy - both for our kids and for making friends with new kids. Everyone loves it. Thanks Jane. BTW, we have been keeping all the toys for our kids in the nurse's room next door to our room. We gather them up at lunch time and the end of our shift. Hate to do that but apparently there are worries that people will take them. Same for the radio/CD player that Jane bought that we have been using.
Paula continues to do well. I am learning "to speak Paula" and since there are so few children we are pretty much at her beck and call. No wonder she is doing well!
We heard from the nurse at the hospital that Nicoletta's father called and asked when he could take her home. So we are not sure what will be happening when she returns from Iasi. We aren't clear on the home situation. Hopefully if she does go home they will be able to get care for her when her frequent respiratory infections occur - or maybe she will be exposed to fewer germs at home. Who knows.
We also heard that Cleo may have a shunt put in. Previously, Cleo saw specialists in Bucharest who said surgery wasn't possible. We are now hearing there is a new kind of shunt made in Germany that might work for her condition. It isn't clear how this would benefit her as I believe it wouldn't change her overall prognosis. Her mother would need to sign for the procedure so we don't know what will happen with her. The most important thing is that this little angel be comfortable and loved in whatever remains of her short life.
My big Andreea goes home tomorrow. I pop in and out of her room during the day to give her kisses and pat her face. She is lucky to have such a caring grandmother.
Caroline and I made an executive decision that we will cut and paste from our blogs this week into the team journal that we do. Cathy is appreciative of the reprieve from having to write this week!
Bud, the GV CEO, arrived in Barlad on the train from Bucharest at about 5 pm. He is staying at the Occident where we believe the next team will be staying. Mihaela and Bud will be meeting with possible host organization partners tomorrow and Friday. I'm not sure what the next team that starts on Saturday will be doing when they start work on Monday. Flexibility is always important but our team and the next team need it more than most teams.
The last two days we ate a take out lunch from the Raluca at the hospital. Today Mihaela took us to the Da Vinci for lunch - quite a treat. It is gray and raining so we especially needed some cheering up.Tomorrow we are invited to eat hospital food. We hear it is good. Be prepared for the report tomorrow night. Not sure what vegetarian options there are so I'll be prepared with a protein bar.
Last night I started worrying about whether Gaby's family had bottles to give her as I wasn't able to get her to eat from a spoon or eat finger food. So then I started thinking what if she isn't getting enough to eat. I'm hoping the family situation is better than we think or there are relatives or neighbors or a village priest or someone to make sure she is ok. I feel like I'm back doing social work feeling helpless about children in bad situations.
Not too many pictures today. Hopefully a few of our girls will be back tomorrow.
Cleo left for Iasi today and Ana Maria and Nico have not returned so we only had Raul, Cristi and Paula, and of course our new friends. Unfortunately I can't post the picture of Caroline reading to the boy who must be about 12 and is almost as tall as she is as he was sitting on her lap. She read through every book we had. It didn't seem to matter to him that they were all in English.
When Mihaela started talking to the younger of the two boys we discovered that he had been at Tutova and left there about 5 years ago. Sounds like he has been in several foster families. It was so cute watching him smile as he talked to Mihaela. This also explains why he has been so gentle and sweet with the little ones in our room, especially Cleo and why when Caroline showed him pictures on her camera he said "Tutova."
Cristi was a bit fussier today than the past two days - almost as if he couldn't quite figure out what would make him happy. I think he is off his usual routine. He can't get down on the floor and crawl into corners or under things as he did at the clinic. He did eat 2 and 1/2 yogurts. He was so tired this afternoon and finally was able to sleep.
The piano that Jane brought has been such a great toy - both for our kids and for making friends with new kids. Everyone loves it. Thanks Jane. BTW, we have been keeping all the toys for our kids in the nurse's room next door to our room. We gather them up at lunch time and the end of our shift. Hate to do that but apparently there are worries that people will take them. Same for the radio/CD player that Jane bought that we have been using.
Paula continues to do well. I am learning "to speak Paula" and since there are so few children we are pretty much at her beck and call. No wonder she is doing well!
We heard from the nurse at the hospital that Nicoletta's father called and asked when he could take her home. So we are not sure what will be happening when she returns from Iasi. We aren't clear on the home situation. Hopefully if she does go home they will be able to get care for her when her frequent respiratory infections occur - or maybe she will be exposed to fewer germs at home. Who knows.
We also heard that Cleo may have a shunt put in. Previously, Cleo saw specialists in Bucharest who said surgery wasn't possible. We are now hearing there is a new kind of shunt made in Germany that might work for her condition. It isn't clear how this would benefit her as I believe it wouldn't change her overall prognosis. Her mother would need to sign for the procedure so we don't know what will happen with her. The most important thing is that this little angel be comfortable and loved in whatever remains of her short life.
My big Andreea goes home tomorrow. I pop in and out of her room during the day to give her kisses and pat her face. She is lucky to have such a caring grandmother.
Caroline and I made an executive decision that we will cut and paste from our blogs this week into the team journal that we do. Cathy is appreciative of the reprieve from having to write this week!
Bud, the GV CEO, arrived in Barlad on the train from Bucharest at about 5 pm. He is staying at the Occident where we believe the next team will be staying. Mihaela and Bud will be meeting with possible host organization partners tomorrow and Friday. I'm not sure what the next team that starts on Saturday will be doing when they start work on Monday. Flexibility is always important but our team and the next team need it more than most teams.
The last two days we ate a take out lunch from the Raluca at the hospital. Today Mihaela took us to the Da Vinci for lunch - quite a treat. It is gray and raining so we especially needed some cheering up.Tomorrow we are invited to eat hospital food. We hear it is good. Be prepared for the report tomorrow night. Not sure what vegetarian options there are so I'll be prepared with a protein bar.
Last night I started worrying about whether Gaby's family had bottles to give her as I wasn't able to get her to eat from a spoon or eat finger food. So then I started thinking what if she isn't getting enough to eat. I'm hoping the family situation is better than we think or there are relatives or neighbors or a village priest or someone to make sure she is ok. I feel like I'm back doing social work feeling helpless about children in bad situations.
Not too many pictures today. Hopefully a few of our girls will be back tomorrow.
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| Paula |
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| Cristi talking to Tigger |
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| Paula and Thomas the Tank Engine |
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| Cristi drinking his bottle in his sleep |
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| Paula |
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| Cristi is doing great at standing |
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Article about hospitals in Romania
This link is courtesy of Robin Elsing, a frequent Global Volunteer in Tutova. While it isn't completely accurate (the clinic in Tutova did not have all severely handicapped newborns), it has interesting information about the state of health care in the country as a whole.
http://www.nineoclock.ro/close-a-hospital-and-you%E2%80%99ll-open-a-graveyard/
http://www.nineoclock.ro/close-a-hospital-and-you%E2%80%99ll-open-a-graveyard/
April Showers
This has been a "gray" trip on a lot of levels including the weather. We've had some slight rain the past 2 days and it has been cold. Caroline said she saw a snow flurry out of the hospital window yesterday.
Nico and Ana Maria were at the hospital in Iasi for testing today so we only had Raul (on a separate floor), Cristi, Paula and Cleo. Our room is a popular place since we have all the toys. There are 2 CPS boys, one in particular, who are in and out, mostly in. The one who appears to be maybe 11 or 12 was obsessed with my camera today. He is good about asking if he can take a toy from the room and bringing it back. He kissed us all good bye yesterday and today brought a chair over for me. I suspect it is hard for him to not have a mother around like the rest of the children.
We have decided Paula really likes these boys. She even let one of them put a bib on her today. They can get in her space without consequences. Yesterday she was giving Caroline nose kisses and today I was the lucky recipient. Zero melt downs today. I think she does better with fewer children and of course more attention. The only problem is the lack of a jumperoo and for a short period of time I was the jumperoo for her today until my quads gave out.
Cleo slept most of the morning and we were a bit worried about her but in the afternoon she was awake and more active than I've seen her in a long time. Either she was feeling better or she liked the penguin we put for her to look at or all of the attention and stimulation but for whatever reason she was moving both arms and smiling and even lifting her shoulder a bit. The staff continue to be good about changing her position. I suspect she will end up staying at the hospital and am a little concerned that she won't get enough attention when there aren't volunteers there. Having said that there seem to be a fair number of staff and they seem to be caring with the children. And the head doctor on that floor, Dr. Eva, has spoken with us quite a bit and seems to have the children's best interests at heart.
Cristi had a good morning but slept most of the afternoon. He hasn't been as congested and we were wondering if they are giving him an antihistamine that helps with the congestion but then tires him out. It is nice to see him not having to deal with such a stuffy nose all the time. The physical therapist came in and worked with him a bit today.
Dr. Eva brought a young Romanian man into our room this afternoon. He is a "social assistant" of some kind with some university training but not a degree in medicine or psychology. He is a volunteer and helps them out a lot. He spoke English and was interesting to talk to and helped us manage our new friend.
As were leaving after lunch, we saw Maria Alexandra aka papanasci with her mother. Sounds like she is there with a cold. Her face looked thinner. While we were sorry to see that she was at the hospital so soon after leaving the clinic, at least her mother knew she needed care. Her mother came over to us as we almost didn't recognize Maria with her thinner face and little cap on. Before we left, Caroline sneaked on to the floor where Maria is and the mother ok'd her taking some pictures. So check out tutovababies.blogspot.com for updated pictures of Maria.
After lunch we made a short visit to the Center for Children with Disabilities. It is north of the Children's Hospital at the edge of town right next to a sports field with a track. So if volunteers end up there you can run laps at lunch time. They have rooms for physical therapy, play therapy, "learning" therapy (tutoring I think), hydrotherapy, art therapy, and probably something else I'm forgetting. The rooms seem well equipped. It sounds like they provide these resources to the children who reside there in the mornings and to non-residents in the afternoon. In fact, we saw Ioanna receiving tutoring I think. Ioanna's foster sister is in one of Mihaela's classes and Mihaela had a nice chat with her.
In addition to having children who come for services during the day, they have a respite program for parents of children with disabilities. Parents can bring their children for 3 hours a week and staff care for them while the parents get a break. The manager of the clinic, Mirella, used a space that was supposed to have two bathrooms for a play room so she could provide this program. I thought that was very progressive of her.
They have separate houses for groups of what appeared to be 8 children in each house with 2 staff in each house. (This is what we saw so I'm not sure how accurate this information may be.) The premises and children seemed clean and there were lots of toys. There was a not large living room/play room in each house and relatively small bedrooms that had 4 children each. We saw Sammy who seemed good and immediately tried to pull Caroline's hair. We also saw Ana Maria in another house who looked quite good and was smiling. One of the staff said she is spoiled.
In the house where "our" other children are we also saw Maestra. She looked great and seemed fine until she got upset when we left. When we walked into the room where our babies are they were very happy to see us. Well, except for Ion who was asleep (it was the end of their nap time) and who Mihaela gently woke up! Ion sat there next to Mihaela just beaming. Alina was all excited when she saw Caroline and even usually quiet Marius was quite happy when I picked him up. Ionut appreciated being tickled. I didn't ask if we could take pictures - didn't quite seem appropriate under the circumstances.
All of the children except Marius had some bites on their faces - not sure what kind - but they were otherwise clean and nicely dressed although Marius was in pink. Alina was quite the girly girl and had a whole closet full of clothes since is so small and the center had donations that didn't fit their other children. We had always heard they don't take babies but there was a little girl who will be 1 year old in July (on my birthday) who had a cast on her leg. Not sure what was going on with her.
In addition to children up to age 18, there is an adult house. We saw some children with Down's Syndrome, like Sammy and Cristi, but we also saw some children who seemed to have more profound disabilities like serious cases of what looked like cerebral palsy. Apparently Bud has a meeting on Thurs. with someone in CPS who is the boss of the nice woman who runs the Center about volunteers working at this facility.
BTW, the Center is over capacity as the need has exceeded their space. One of the things I'm reminded of is that this is a rural and poor area and it has even less resources than other parts of the country.
I think every day about all of "our" children and how they are doing. I think I'm most worried about Alexandra, Petre and Gabita. There are so many children needing assistance throughout the world. I guess I should just keep remembering the starfish story about the little boy who said he knew there were lots of starfish that needed help but at least he helped one.
Nico and Ana Maria were at the hospital in Iasi for testing today so we only had Raul (on a separate floor), Cristi, Paula and Cleo. Our room is a popular place since we have all the toys. There are 2 CPS boys, one in particular, who are in and out, mostly in. The one who appears to be maybe 11 or 12 was obsessed with my camera today. He is good about asking if he can take a toy from the room and bringing it back. He kissed us all good bye yesterday and today brought a chair over for me. I suspect it is hard for him to not have a mother around like the rest of the children.
We have decided Paula really likes these boys. She even let one of them put a bib on her today. They can get in her space without consequences. Yesterday she was giving Caroline nose kisses and today I was the lucky recipient. Zero melt downs today. I think she does better with fewer children and of course more attention. The only problem is the lack of a jumperoo and for a short period of time I was the jumperoo for her today until my quads gave out.
Cleo slept most of the morning and we were a bit worried about her but in the afternoon she was awake and more active than I've seen her in a long time. Either she was feeling better or she liked the penguin we put for her to look at or all of the attention and stimulation but for whatever reason she was moving both arms and smiling and even lifting her shoulder a bit. The staff continue to be good about changing her position. I suspect she will end up staying at the hospital and am a little concerned that she won't get enough attention when there aren't volunteers there. Having said that there seem to be a fair number of staff and they seem to be caring with the children. And the head doctor on that floor, Dr. Eva, has spoken with us quite a bit and seems to have the children's best interests at heart.
Cristi had a good morning but slept most of the afternoon. He hasn't been as congested and we were wondering if they are giving him an antihistamine that helps with the congestion but then tires him out. It is nice to see him not having to deal with such a stuffy nose all the time. The physical therapist came in and worked with him a bit today.
Dr. Eva brought a young Romanian man into our room this afternoon. He is a "social assistant" of some kind with some university training but not a degree in medicine or psychology. He is a volunteer and helps them out a lot. He spoke English and was interesting to talk to and helped us manage our new friend.
As were leaving after lunch, we saw Maria Alexandra aka papanasci with her mother. Sounds like she is there with a cold. Her face looked thinner. While we were sorry to see that she was at the hospital so soon after leaving the clinic, at least her mother knew she needed care. Her mother came over to us as we almost didn't recognize Maria with her thinner face and little cap on. Before we left, Caroline sneaked on to the floor where Maria is and the mother ok'd her taking some pictures. So check out tutovababies.blogspot.com for updated pictures of Maria.
After lunch we made a short visit to the Center for Children with Disabilities. It is north of the Children's Hospital at the edge of town right next to a sports field with a track. So if volunteers end up there you can run laps at lunch time. They have rooms for physical therapy, play therapy, "learning" therapy (tutoring I think), hydrotherapy, art therapy, and probably something else I'm forgetting. The rooms seem well equipped. It sounds like they provide these resources to the children who reside there in the mornings and to non-residents in the afternoon. In fact, we saw Ioanna receiving tutoring I think. Ioanna's foster sister is in one of Mihaela's classes and Mihaela had a nice chat with her.
In addition to having children who come for services during the day, they have a respite program for parents of children with disabilities. Parents can bring their children for 3 hours a week and staff care for them while the parents get a break. The manager of the clinic, Mirella, used a space that was supposed to have two bathrooms for a play room so she could provide this program. I thought that was very progressive of her.
They have separate houses for groups of what appeared to be 8 children in each house with 2 staff in each house. (This is what we saw so I'm not sure how accurate this information may be.) The premises and children seemed clean and there were lots of toys. There was a not large living room/play room in each house and relatively small bedrooms that had 4 children each. We saw Sammy who seemed good and immediately tried to pull Caroline's hair. We also saw Ana Maria in another house who looked quite good and was smiling. One of the staff said she is spoiled.
In the house where "our" other children are we also saw Maestra. She looked great and seemed fine until she got upset when we left. When we walked into the room where our babies are they were very happy to see us. Well, except for Ion who was asleep (it was the end of their nap time) and who Mihaela gently woke up! Ion sat there next to Mihaela just beaming. Alina was all excited when she saw Caroline and even usually quiet Marius was quite happy when I picked him up. Ionut appreciated being tickled. I didn't ask if we could take pictures - didn't quite seem appropriate under the circumstances.
All of the children except Marius had some bites on their faces - not sure what kind - but they were otherwise clean and nicely dressed although Marius was in pink. Alina was quite the girly girl and had a whole closet full of clothes since is so small and the center had donations that didn't fit their other children. We had always heard they don't take babies but there was a little girl who will be 1 year old in July (on my birthday) who had a cast on her leg. Not sure what was going on with her.
In addition to children up to age 18, there is an adult house. We saw some children with Down's Syndrome, like Sammy and Cristi, but we also saw some children who seemed to have more profound disabilities like serious cases of what looked like cerebral palsy. Apparently Bud has a meeting on Thurs. with someone in CPS who is the boss of the nice woman who runs the Center about volunteers working at this facility.
BTW, the Center is over capacity as the need has exceeded their space. One of the things I'm reminded of is that this is a rural and poor area and it has even less resources than other parts of the country.
I think every day about all of "our" children and how they are doing. I think I'm most worried about Alexandra, Petre and Gabita. There are so many children needing assistance throughout the world. I guess I should just keep remembering the starfish story about the little boy who said he knew there were lots of starfish that needed help but at least he helped one.
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| Go Cristi! |
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| I gave "big" Andreea the little stuffed bunny that Louanne donated. |
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| Andreea showing off her gold hoop earrings - and hair |
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| Raul only smiles for Caroline |
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| Cristi |
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| Note how Cleo grabbed on to the side of the crib |
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| Paula was a happy camper today |
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| Cleo was a happy camper this afternoon |
Monday, April 11, 2011
At the hospital
Today, Caroline, Cathy and I worked with "our" children at the Children's Hospital in Barlad. There are 6 children from Tutova at the hospital pending determination of where they should go. Raul is on the floor with the preemies and the others, Paula, Christi, Cleo, Ana Maria and Nicoletta are all in the same room on the neuro pysch floor. The hospital was clean and while not as cheerful as Tutova it wasn't bad. There seemed to be a fair number of staff around and of course here mothers are expected to stay at the hospital with their children. So we were stand in mothers for our Tutova children.
We brought some toys from the clinic so were able to have some things for the children to play with. Cristi was very happy to see Mickey Mouse and Ana Maria once again was able to enjoy playing with the Lamb Chop puppet. They also enjoyed the piano Jane had brought and other miscellaneous toys. Cleo has a port as she is getting antibiotics. And Nico wasn't feeling well this afternoon and had a fever but perked up a bit after getting some medication. Otherwise, they are doing fine. Paula even seemed to be doing ok with less activity. In fact, when we arrived there was an aide walking with Cristi.
And I got to see "big" Andreea, my former favorite, who left the clinic about 18 mos. ago. She lives with her father and grandmother and she seems lucky to have a grandmother taking good care of her. She is now 5 years old and longer and thinner. She still doesn't have much head and neck control but seemed happy enough. We heard she is there for a cold. She had cute little gold hoop earrings. Her grandmother understood that we knew her from Tutova and let me take a picture of them. In fact, in the afternoon, the grandmother came into our room and seemed to remember Cristi from Tutova.
Tomorrow, Ana Maria and Nico are supposed to be going to the hospital in Iasi for the day for testing and Cleo is supposed to go for testing on Wed. Sounds like they are doing full work ups on the children. The hospital manager said she has asked CPS to look into the home situations. I know the children can't stay at the hospital long term, nor of course would that be a good thing for them. Given Raul's and Cleo's medical situations thought maybe they will stay. Who knows at this point.
Mihaela is working on plans for what the next team will be doing and where they will be staying. I think Bud the CEO from Global arrives on Thurs. We hope to visit the children at the center for children with disabilities tomorrow. Of course we are thinking of all of the children and wondering how they are doing
Spent the last of the donation money on disposable diapers and wipes for the children at the hospital as families are expected to provide those items. Will see what else they may need.
Here are a few pictures.
We brought some toys from the clinic so were able to have some things for the children to play with. Cristi was very happy to see Mickey Mouse and Ana Maria once again was able to enjoy playing with the Lamb Chop puppet. They also enjoyed the piano Jane had brought and other miscellaneous toys. Cleo has a port as she is getting antibiotics. And Nico wasn't feeling well this afternoon and had a fever but perked up a bit after getting some medication. Otherwise, they are doing fine. Paula even seemed to be doing ok with less activity. In fact, when we arrived there was an aide walking with Cristi.
And I got to see "big" Andreea, my former favorite, who left the clinic about 18 mos. ago. She lives with her father and grandmother and she seems lucky to have a grandmother taking good care of her. She is now 5 years old and longer and thinner. She still doesn't have much head and neck control but seemed happy enough. We heard she is there for a cold. She had cute little gold hoop earrings. Her grandmother understood that we knew her from Tutova and let me take a picture of them. In fact, in the afternoon, the grandmother came into our room and seemed to remember Cristi from Tutova.
Tomorrow, Ana Maria and Nico are supposed to be going to the hospital in Iasi for the day for testing and Cleo is supposed to go for testing on Wed. Sounds like they are doing full work ups on the children. The hospital manager said she has asked CPS to look into the home situations. I know the children can't stay at the hospital long term, nor of course would that be a good thing for them. Given Raul's and Cleo's medical situations thought maybe they will stay. Who knows at this point.
Mihaela is working on plans for what the next team will be doing and where they will be staying. I think Bud the CEO from Global arrives on Thurs. We hope to visit the children at the center for children with disabilities tomorrow. Of course we are thinking of all of the children and wondering how they are doing
Spent the last of the donation money on disposable diapers and wipes for the children at the hospital as families are expected to provide those items. Will see what else they may need.
Here are a few pictures.
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| Nico and Tigger |
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| Cleo and Cookie Monster |
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| Cristi and Mickey |
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| Cathy and Ana Maria |
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| Paula |
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| "Big" Andreea and her grandmother |
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Link to another news video
Although this is in Romanian, it shows some of the clinic. The baby in the red onesie is Maria Cleopatra who has hydrocephalus and has already lived longer than expected. The mobile over her crib is one I brought for her on my last trip. (Mind you, we took the 3 mobiles at the clinic for use wherever the volunteers go next.)
The child they show standing in the crib who has kind of a purple/pink shirt on holding a ball is my Gabita.
The mother they interview is the mother of Daria who is going to Iasi for her second cleft palate surgery which was originally scheduled for next month but got moved up. Daris is a pistol. The mother may lack resources to care for her. She was asking the aides what to feed her. We sent some baby food and things home with her.
http://videonews.antena3.ro/action/viewvideo/802663/Vaslui-20-de-copii-care-sufera-de-boli-grave-au-fost-lasati-in-voia-sortii/
The child they show standing in the crib who has kind of a purple/pink shirt on holding a ball is my Gabita.
The mother they interview is the mother of Daria who is going to Iasi for her second cleft palate surgery which was originally scheduled for next month but got moved up. Daris is a pistol. The mother may lack resources to care for her. She was asking the aides what to feed her. We sent some baby food and things home with her.
http://videonews.antena3.ro/action/viewvideo/802663/Vaslui-20-de-copii-care-sufera-de-boli-grave-au-fost-lasati-in-voia-sortii/
Light a candle
It has been such a relief to get away from the trauma and drama in Tutova. And then I think how lucky I am that I can get away. I confess despite the distraction I've thought about the children, especially Gaby. Today I worried about her 3 sisters taking all her balls that we sent home with her and her not having one to play with. I have to stop thinking about this. Still, Cathy and I lit candles for the babies at one of the churches we visited today.
The hotel is quite nice. I'm not usually one to take pictures of hotel rooms and it isn't like this is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in or even that special but somehow it seems special in these circumstances. It also has been great to be outdoors and get some fresh air and even some bits of sunshine. It has been very windy with a few raindrops here and there and I swear a few drops of hail but maybe that was my imagination.
Radu took us on a tour of Iasi today. I had visited the painted monasteries and Moldavia with him and some teammates before and he is just the nicest guy and a good guide. I had been in Iasi before and wasn't impressed but clearly just didn't have the right experience! Glad I gave it a second chance and thanks to our teammate Jane for the hotel recommendation. And thanks to Cathy who let me join in on her trip at the last minute.
Tonight I'll be making two international phone calls. The usual Sat. call to my Dad but also a special call to my niece Shannon who turns 21 today. Happy Birthday, Shannon!
So here are some pictures that won't tug at your heartstrings....
The hotel is quite nice. I'm not usually one to take pictures of hotel rooms and it isn't like this is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in or even that special but somehow it seems special in these circumstances. It also has been great to be outdoors and get some fresh air and even some bits of sunshine. It has been very windy with a few raindrops here and there and I swear a few drops of hail but maybe that was my imagination.
Radu took us on a tour of Iasi today. I had visited the painted monasteries and Moldavia with him and some teammates before and he is just the nicest guy and a good guide. I had been in Iasi before and wasn't impressed but clearly just didn't have the right experience! Glad I gave it a second chance and thanks to our teammate Jane for the hotel recommendation. And thanks to Cathy who let me join in on her trip at the last minute.
Tonight I'll be making two international phone calls. The usual Sat. call to my Dad but also a special call to my niece Shannon who turns 21 today. Happy Birthday, Shannon!
So here are some pictures that won't tug at your heartstrings....
Friday, April 8, 2011
A Home for Andrada
We are such slackers. We had breakfast at 9 today and then went over to the clinic. First we say the news van from the first day the media descended upon the clinic. Then to our great surprise and pleasure we found a foster family there to take Andrada home with them! Maybe her baptism helped and if there is a God s/he decided to look down on this little baby. The foster parents seemed like very nice people and had brought her clothes to go home in. They live in Vaslui and their other children are grown. Thank goodness for a happy ending for her and for our last day at the clinic. We probably said thank you to the foster parents a million times. There were fewer tears today.
I did ask Ramona more about what happened when they took Gaby home yesterday. She said Dan would tell us about how Mihaela was which led me to believe things weren't good. We heard Nicoletta say Miha was "triste" (sad) and "murdar" (dirty). I asked Ramona if there was a way to get CPS involved to keep an eye on the girls (not to mention their 2 sisters.) She said there are social workers who visit the villages maybe once a month (unlikely) and if there was a problem they would tell CPS. If it is like CPS in the U.S., neglect is often not enough to justify intervention. So I am not hopeful. I don't even want to think about it.
At breakfast we discovered that we all had dreams about the babies last night. My dream was amazingly hopeful. I found Alina in a pile of sand, brushed her face off and said "Alina is that you" and she said "yes" because of course she speaks English. Then I took her with me and got on a bus and someone told me I could be accused of kidnapping her. So I went to her mother and had her sign an official notarized document giving up Alina. I gave the mother flowers as a thank you and off we went. So there must be some small amount of hope inside me or my psyche was giving me a comforting dream!
We said good bye and thank you to the aides and left the clinic about 11. We gathered up some toys and disposable diapers we had missed being able to give to Daria. I grabbed all the puppets thinking they would be good for playing with the babies in their cribs. Jane grabbed Tigger and the thing with the mirror and hanging bird that Cristi likes to lay under. I cleaned the mirror when I got it back to my room.
Caroline grabbed some of the things they use for Raul's bandages. I think Caroline has been supplying the clinic with the bandages they use for Raul and may need to do the same for the hospital. Her mother is coming in 2 weeks and will bring more. I know, don't get me started about what will happen to him. The good news is Caroline has been making progress with getting his medical visa to bring him to the US for treatment. I think she now has power of attorney for him as well.
Caroline and Jane are off to the hospital in Barlad this afternoon and Cathy and I are escaping to Iasi. I am not looking forward to next week but at least we will be able to give some attention to the children.
I did ask Ramona more about what happened when they took Gaby home yesterday. She said Dan would tell us about how Mihaela was which led me to believe things weren't good. We heard Nicoletta say Miha was "triste" (sad) and "murdar" (dirty). I asked Ramona if there was a way to get CPS involved to keep an eye on the girls (not to mention their 2 sisters.) She said there are social workers who visit the villages maybe once a month (unlikely) and if there was a problem they would tell CPS. If it is like CPS in the U.S., neglect is often not enough to justify intervention. So I am not hopeful. I don't even want to think about it.
At breakfast we discovered that we all had dreams about the babies last night. My dream was amazingly hopeful. I found Alina in a pile of sand, brushed her face off and said "Alina is that you" and she said "yes" because of course she speaks English. Then I took her with me and got on a bus and someone told me I could be accused of kidnapping her. So I went to her mother and had her sign an official notarized document giving up Alina. I gave the mother flowers as a thank you and off we went. So there must be some small amount of hope inside me or my psyche was giving me a comforting dream!
We said good bye and thank you to the aides and left the clinic about 11. We gathered up some toys and disposable diapers we had missed being able to give to Daria. I grabbed all the puppets thinking they would be good for playing with the babies in their cribs. Jane grabbed Tigger and the thing with the mirror and hanging bird that Cristi likes to lay under. I cleaned the mirror when I got it back to my room.
Caroline grabbed some of the things they use for Raul's bandages. I think Caroline has been supplying the clinic with the bandages they use for Raul and may need to do the same for the hospital. Her mother is coming in 2 weeks and will bring more. I know, don't get me started about what will happen to him. The good news is Caroline has been making progress with getting his medical visa to bring him to the US for treatment. I think she now has power of attorney for him as well.
Caroline and Jane are off to the hospital in Barlad this afternoon and Cathy and I are escaping to Iasi. I am not looking forward to next week but at least we will be able to give some attention to the children.
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| Cathy and Andrada |
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| Andrada and her new foster mother |
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| Coca, Jelina and Andrada |
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| Nicoletta and Andrada |
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| Andrada and her foster mother |
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| Andrada and her foster father |
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