Jitter Bug

Her name is Jitta. She is two months old. When wrapped tight in her African blanket of vibrant colors she looks like a little caterpillar in a cocoon. We call her Jitta Bug. She arrived on the ship around June 5th. She, like many others here, had a very visual birth defect. Some called her "unicorn baby." I cannot imagine the other horrible names she has been called. Or the pain her mother felt every time someone looked at her child and then quickly turned away so they would not have to stare at the growth plunging out between the baby's eyes. This baby has a serious condition involving her brain called Encephalocele. Medical dictionaries describe encephalocele as "a neural-tube defect, which causes sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it to protrude through openings in the skull. This happens when the neural tube fails to close during fetal development. The cause is not really known, but it is probably related to a lack of proper nutrition and folic acid during pregnancy." This baby needed serious help. We do not have a brain surgeon on the ship, but we do have a number of very skilled, intelligent, God fearing surgeons on board. The surgeons, trusting in God, decided to help baby Jitta. One of our attending surgeons began Jitta's sugery by himself with his capable OR team. Hours into the operation it became obvious he would need more help. Another surgeon on board finished the surgery he was in, cancelled all his other cases for the day, and assisted with Jitta's surgery. After numerous hours in the OR, baby Jitta's surgery was complete. She went to the recovery room with bandages all over her head and our prayers surrounding her. To our surprise, Jitta was wide awake in recovery! Her eyes should have been swollen shut, but no swelling appeared; just slight bruising. Jitta is a miracle baby. She has had some rough days, with vomiting, bloody tears, and leaking cerebral spinal fluid. She is getting antibiotics around-the-clock. Yet, she is happy and appears to be without pain. She is getting better every single day, but it is possible that she is still leaking cerebral spinal fluid. If the fluid that surrounds the brain is leaking out; infection could also find its way in. We are limiting the number of people who hold Jitta to decrease risk of infection and antibiotics continue. I am blessed to be Jitta's nurse because I don't think I could resist holding her. She looks so precious and like a little bug with her bandage wrapped around her head and steri strips around and between her eyes. She is my little masked Zorro! So, every chance I get, I hold this tiny baby. Wrapped tight in her blanket cocoon, our little Jitta Bug, thanks to God and Mercy Ships, is turning into a beautiful butterfly.