Meet Caleb (Elijah)

We first heard about Caleb (Elijah as he is being called right now)when he was only 4 months old. His mom came to us seeking help for her baby boy. He has hydrocephalus and encephalocele on the back of his neck. An encephalocele is a neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it through openings in the skull. Without the proper medical care, this could be deadly for a child.
From the time we first heard about Elijah, we have been trying to get him care in the USA to remove his "sack". Because of limited testing available in Haiti, it was very difficult to get anyone to commit to his care as they could not fully tell how involved his "sack" might be. Whether it just contained fluid or actual brain matter. We hoped and prayed that it was just fluid and could be removed.
Finally, after the earthquake hit, we had a doctor and hospital agree to his care and with the help of US officials, we were able to get Elijah into the USA for his care. However, by this time, it has been 1.5 years since we first heard about Elijah and his health has greatly deteriorated. His mom has done an amazing job caring for her little boy for as long as she has. The fact that he is even still alive is an amazing testament of her love for him. Please pray for Elijah in this very long road to healing. He is still very critical.

Elijah at 4 months old when we first heard about him. Elijah at 4 months old when we first heard about him. He was a decent weight.Elijah visiting at 6 months old. He is almost constantly in pain from the pressure in his head.
Elijah at 15 months old. He has not been able to adequately gain weight and his sack has growing in size. Elijah at 15 months old with his mother.