Pistache….it means “peanut” in Creole. When we have two children with the same name, we usually give one a nickname…so we called Wilner “Pistache.”

Years ago, when we were doing a Mobile Medical Clinic, a father brought his son to me… I sat the little boy on my lap and began to talk to him. His face was swollen from malnutrition, his stomach was severely swollen, and he had hardly any hair. His arms were like little skeleton arms… I thought he was about seven years old, but his father said he was 15! None of us could believe this but it was true…

We knew if we left Wilner with his father, he would die. We brought him home and put him in a hospital, and then when he was released, began to nurse him back to health. It was tough for Wilner (“Pistache”) because even though his body was that of a child’s, he did not fit into a child’s world because he was an adult. He could not fit into the adult world, because he looked like a little child… Wilner struggled through school and even though he failed a couple of times, he was determined to graduate. He has one more year of school to go. His job here at Love A Child is lawn maintenance, but he dreams of having a good profession one day. Bobby always teases him about a girlfriend but he says, “Poppie, they take all your money! I have to get an education first!” Pistache is hardworking, kind, and respectful, and we love him!! Sherry