MIRLINE

Mirline was diagnosed with lymphatic filariasis when she was a little girl. Lymphatic Filariasis is a rare but very dangerous parasitic disease typically spread by infected insects or animals. It affects the lymph nodes and can cause extreme swelling in the limbs. By the time Mirline was 18 years old her leg had swollen 5x the size of her other leg. The infected limb was extremely painful and she was unable to walk. Mirline was raised by her aunt who cared about her dearly and went hospital to hospital pleading for medical assistance but they were constantly turned away. Mirline and her aunt lived in a tiny house outside of Port au Prince.

 Mirline hardly ever left the house because her leg was too painful and it was too difficult to move under the enormous weight of the leg. One day Mirline’s aunt heard of a free hospital in the city. Desperate to help her niece, she prepared for the long journey into town with Mirline. They needed to travel by tap-tap which is an ornately decorated pickup truck that serves as rideshare in Haiti. Tap-tap’s are crowded, rough, and take hours to reach the destination. It took 4 men just to carry Mirline to the tap-tap to start their long and painful journey into the city. They finally reached the free hospital and met with the doctor and was told again, there was nothing they could do. 

They sat in the hospital reception feeling hopeless when a miracle happened. They happened to meet a friend of For You Haiti. This friend spoke to Mirline and her aunt about this small one-room clinic on the island of La Gonave that would be able to help. Mirline and her aunt reached out to For Your Haiti asking for help and For You Haiti answered their call. For You Haiti stepped in and organized ambulance rides to multiple doctor appointments. After many painful visits, it was determined that the best course of action was to amputate the leg. Mirline bravely agreed and she underwent surgery. 

Mirline amazed everyone by how quickly she healed. Mirline was thrilled to be able to move freely with the aid of crutches after a lifetime of being weighed down by her leg. For You Haiti organized a prosthesis to be made for Mirline and now she is able to walk without the use of crutches. She is able to wear dresses and attend school for the first time in her life. Mirline is in her fifth year of school and is an intelligent, joyful, and motivated young woman with a bright future ahead of her! 

Life-changing surgeries like the one Mirline received are out of reach for most Haitians. Every day hundreds of Haitian children go without the necessary medical attention due to lack of services available and because they are unable to afford the cost of care. For you Haiti was grateful that they were able to step in and help Rose before it was too late. For You Haiti has witnessed many medical miracles like this one and it is all made possible by donations and assistance from our compassionate and caring donors.

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