Dimelia is such a joy! Her father brought her to us when she was about three. She had been badly burned when she was younger, so when her father brought her to us, she was severely scarred. She was a sad little girl. She could not lift her arms (due to scar tissue) or turn her neck. We sent her to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Boston many times, where she had “several grafts,” and suffered a lot. 

While traveling back and forth, she missed a lot of school in Haiti, but she studied in the U.S. She speaks perfect English and graduated from an English speaking high school, in Haiti, with honors. But her French was not good enough for her to attend university here in Haiti. She has been accepted to a medical college in Italy (the same one Florence attends). She is just waiting on her visa and her ticket money.

The kids nicknamed her “dlo” (which means “water”) because she is just like water…she flows; she adapts wherever she goes. Dimelia never complains or “blames anyone” for what happened to her; on the contrary, she is grateful for everything! She is always ready to help other children and listen to their problems.

She loves her parents who live in Port-au-Prince, and we know that someday when she reaches her dream to become a nurse or a doctor, she will be able to take care of her natural parents. Dimelia is a devout Christian. We tell her that God has a “designed plan” for her life! She will go to medical college and either stay in nursing or climb higher. She needs one more surgery, but she cannot get another visa to the States, so we pray that one day, she can have that final surgery in Europe.

We all love, “dlo!“ We can‘t live without “water,” Dimelia!

Sherry