When Lionel was much younger, we were called by someone concerned for a child, whose father had “held his hand in boiling water,” because he was angry at his son. This father not only held his young son’s hand in boiling water, but he “threw him out into the street.” The police found him in bad condition and called someone, who in return, called us.

When we found Lionel, his hand was badly burned. We sent him to a hospital in Haiti, but they did not care for his hand properly. As a result, his fingers “fused together.” Jesse Ostrander, who is working with us on construction, but also helping with several children’s physical needs, took Lionel to the Dominican Republic, where he had located a surgeon in regards to Lionel’s hand. Here is Jesse’s report on Lionel.

 

Bobby and Sherry,

We met with the surgeon about Lionel’s hand. They took x-rays, conducted nerve tests, and took photos and videos. They are confident they can help him cosmetically, but more importantly, functionally. Lionel said he wanted to be a mechanic when he got older. The surgeon smiled and told us it is completely doable. He will need two, maybe three surgeries. The first will be to separate the thumb from being bound to the hand. This alone will completely change the way he functions. He will be able to pick things up and actually develop grip strength. The subsequent surgeries will be to separate the fingers. His hand and most of his fingers tested really well. They will not know for sure until they are in surgery, but they believe most of the nerves and tendons are intact. However, his pointer finger is not in the best shape. It is tiny and void of feeling. They think it is because of a lack of blood flow for many years. They also think that it was messed up in the surgery at the hospital in Haiti. Hopefully, they can save the finger, but the worst-case scenario would be that he loses it. We will not know until after the surgeries. God is good!

Best,
Jesse

 

By the Grace of God, it looks like Lionel will have his dream come true, and someday, he will be able to learn to be a mechanic! Jesus is a “Dream Maker!”

Sherry