Can you help Laiver?
Laiver is 5 years old and is from a small village outside the city of Barahona in the Southwest of the Dominican Republic. He lives with his grandma, grandpa and mother in a modest but tidy wooden house with a tin roof and latrine. Grandpa works small areas of farmland, grandma is an avid churchgoer and leader of the local women’s association and mom is employed as a street sweeper by the local municipality. Their home was flooded during Tropical Storm Noel in 2007.
Like many Dominican families, Lavier’s is poor, and while they do the best they can, they are unable to attend to some of his needs. He has a condition called hydrocephalus. Build-up of fluid causes his head to enlarge and reduces the size of his brain. A shunt has been implanted to address this, although he sometimes suffers from complications such as infections.
Hydrocephalus affects around 1 in 500 children worldwide. Implanting at shunt at an early age, having constant access to adequate medical care and being exposed to appropriate mental and physical therapy can help them lead long, fulfilling lives. But in developing countries, such as the Dominican Republic, these children are less likely to have access to those things.
I have known Laiver and his family for several years now. They are good, honest people who always share with me what they have, whether it is a plate of rice and beans, a glass of fresh juice or a warm hug. They have never asked me for anything and to my knowledge have never received any significant assistance from local politicians or organizations.
On a whim, I decided that I wanted to share his story in hopes that someone would be willing to lend them a helping hand. Here are some things that, in my limited knowledge about his condition, I feel could be of great use:
-A special chair for persons with this condition, whether a wheelchair or chair for sitting, that reclines and offers head support. A regular wheel chair wouldn’t work. Laiver’s mom takes him out of his crib to feed him, and he is getting heavy and a little too big for her lap! It would be nice for him to get around a little, since he spends all of his days in his crib looking up at the tin roof.
-A custom bed, such as a twin-size that has railing, so that he doesn’t fall out. Laiver is literally outgrowing his crib! It doesn’t have to be a hospital bed...maybe someone knows how to build a custom one with rails?
-Other items for daily consumption or use, such as: diapers, powdered milk, towels/washcloths, sheets, clothes/underwear, vitamin powder/drink, and toys that are safe for him. The clothes/linens can of course be used, anything would be great.
If you belong to or know of a group or organization that could help, please let me know. I know that the National Lottery has a program to help children with special needs like Laiver to get wheelchairs, and I plan on getting in touch with them.
If you would like to personally help, the family would love to meet you if you could come down to Barahona. I can translate and help you find a place to stay, if needed. If you want to send something, through Caribe Tours to Barahona would be the best way, although I can arrange to pick something up in Santo Domingo if necessary. I will deliver whatever it is to them and show them how to use it if needed. I will also send you a picture so that you can see that they got it.
Thank you for reading about Laiver and his family.
"You can not do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do."
-Anonymous
This is Laiver in his crib:
Laiver needs a special wheelchair and bed...
Thanks for the responses!
