I wanted to post at least a brief update for those who may be concerned with events with my friends in Ghana. There has been a lot going on there with almost everyone.
But right now we are limited in what we can do with them. Last week John was filming the latest episode of his continuing online drama series and he overexerted himself. That night he once again began to pass blood and he became very weak.
He had been neglecting to take his medicine, as one does when one is feeling well, and this probably led to his current problems. He is back on his meds now and hopefully things will straighten out. In the meantime he is too weak to do much and can’t really go out in public when he is passing blood.
So for now we are waiting for him to recover.
He did manage to help Favour and her baby. Favour is the seventeen year old Nigerian girl who originally came to John for help last fall when she was pregnant and homeless. The child was born toward the end of last year and John has been helping the young mother and her baby since then.
Early this week Favour came to him because she was out of food for herself and the baby. John helped her out and took some photos. The diary picture is one of them.
I am very concerned that the baby seems basically unconscious again. This has been a continuing thing with him. In almost every photo seems to be asleep or very groggy. When he was born the doctors kept him in the hospital for a week in an incubator because he wasn’t breathing well. So I am concerned that he is simply not in good health.
Favour and John took him in to the hospital for a checkup awhile back and they said that he was okay but that was some time ago, now. In the photos he almost always seems lethargic if not downright unconscious. It has me worrying.
John told me that Favour smokes pot constantly in the room where she and the baby are staying and he thinks that the baby may be groggy from the smoke. He also asked me not to cut them off and punish the baby because of her mother and of course I wouldn’t do that. I’m not really sure that this is the cause of the baby’s problems anyway but I wish he seemed more awake and alert.
And of course any money spent on Favour and the baby cannot be spent on others who are in just as much need. But babies come first. I’m not willing to give up on him as a lost cause.
I do wish Favour was a more responsible mother but she is young and has had problems in her life. One cannot blame her too much.
John wants to get the baby in to the shelter where our little orphan girl Anabel is being cared for but he is too young for that. The question is how to keep him alive until he is old enough, frankly.
I had hoped to have the naming ceremony for him yet this week but John is simply too weak to make the necessary arrangements. He is spending most of his time sleeping and resting indoors. Incidentally you can see in the photo how gaunt John looks. It is obvious that he is unwell.
I don’t mean for this to be a gloom-and-doom diary. Right now we are just in a holding pattern until John recovers his health.
By the way, the baby has two socks, now! This is a step up. Last time he only had one.
Hopefully in next week’s update I can report in the baby’s naming ceremony and not have to refer to him as just ‘the baby.’ It is an important step in a child’s life there and it needs to be done. So there is that to look forward to.
God bless.