Baby Mibi
Saving Children Like Baby Mibi at St. Theresa Hospital
One in every ten children in South Sudan will die before their fifth birthday. This tragedy is unacceptable in today’s world. And together we’re partnering to fight this daunting statistic.
St. Theresa Hospital in Nzara is one of the bastions of hope in the battle to upend these dire statistics. Every day this vital healthcare facility represents an outpost of help for some 300,000 people it serves across the southwestern region of South Sudan, as well as hopeful patients who travel across borders from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic to find care they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Baby Mibi is one success story illustrating how St. Theresa is fighting child mortality one young life at a time.
Without critical medical intervention, Baby Mibi was on track to become another tragedy. He was his young mother’s firstborn child. But at 14 months old, he was only the size of an infant. “Failure to thrive” is how he was described. He had a history of cough, watery diarrhea, and overall body weakness. When he arrived, he was unable to even sit up.
Many people in rural parts of South Sudan have no means of transportation, one of the numerous hurdles to obtaining health care. Somehow Mibi’s mother was able to access a motorbike, and she brought her tiny toddler on motorbike from their home near the border of the Congo all the way to Nzara to get help.
His outlook was disheartening. Besides being diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, he was suffering from severe malaria – another major cause of death among infants and children in Africa. A staggering 900,000 children die from the mosquito-borne scourge every year across the continent. As a result, Baby Mibi’s heart and lungs were also in distress.
After three days of aggressive treatment, he was showing no improvement. But on day four, and after trying adjustments in his protocol to bring out all the stops to save him, Baby Mibi showed the first signs of encouragement. He started to turn around. Within days he evidenced significant improvement. By the time he was released to go home, his heart and lungs were clear and he was malaria free. He had also received vital nutrition through IV.
His mother was astonished at this new little toddler who came out of St. Theresa Hospital so different from when he’d gone in – thanks to the excellent medical care found in an unexpected place. And thanks to people across the world who care about children like Baby Mibi.
Stories like this are possible because of the generosity and compassion of donors, like you, who support St. Theresa’s medical mission, bringing treatment to so many who wouldn’t have access to health care. Thank you for partnering with us to save lives and give children in South Sudan a more hopeful future.
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