$100 Can Change a Life!

BASKETBALL CAMP IS AWESOME, more to come in the newsletter.

All I have to say is…I do not know how I am going to end it in four weeks. I am getting very attached to the kids and the coaches are so great. I have so many wonderful pictures that I cannot wait to share!

Aside from camp, but still related, we have a five year old boy who came to camp the first week with a terrible burn on his forearm. He was pushed in a fire and the skin was basically gone. Someone put bad medicine on it and left it open so it was infected and very dirty. Rachel, my roommate, noticed it when one of the other kids was annoyed with him and grabbed it, which lead to screaming and a lot of tears. Anyway, we have been taking him to the hospital every four days since 13 Feb and it is healing nicely. My roommate and I were talking about how if this went untreated, he probably would have lost his arm and/ died from an infection. It’s amazing what proper medical attention can do. To “fix” him, all he needs is the wound to be cleaned with saline and the bandage changed every four days or so. In order to get this kind of treatment, it costs only $10 a visit, something his family cannot afford. He could have lost a limb or died for less than $100 worth of treatment. This attention is something that we take for granted and I makes me realize how important access to medical care is for developing countries (or anywhere really). It’s just sad to think that a mother would have lost her child for less than $100.

I would like to thank everyone who donated to the camp. Part of your contribution is paying for his hospital visits…you saved a kids limb and, most likely, saved him from a future of begging on the streets.