My Journey with Caleb's Family

A friend requested me to share my story on the journey we walked with Caleb's family. So below is a very long blog on that over 1 month. Am not sure what is in store for us ahead but this far it has been God.

After our experience with Atrial Septal Defect(ASD) through our daughter Samara, I felt within me a call to look for people to partner with regarding kids with heart issues. So In January this year, I checked the net and bumped into a local NGO. The organization basically deals with kids with heart defects from poor families. I thought it was a noble call and contacted the organization. They were fast to respond and I visited them alone and over the weekend on a Saturday with my family.

On the Saturday we went, we met Caleb and his parents. This was end of January and they were discussing with the founder of the organization about how to raise airfare for them to travel to India, first week of February. I held Caleb briefly in my arms and his mum kept saying one day her son will grow to be like Samara after we shared with them our story. We floated a few ideas of cheaper airfare like Air Arabia. We needed to rush somewhere and left Caleb’s family at the local NGO. On our way , we discovered where we wanted to go was closed and we drove back to the NGO and gave them a ride to town. While in the car the couple shared their experiences and we exchanged numbers with Nicoletta. Looking back that day was a miracle in itself as Nicolletta had refused to come as she knew Caleb really gets tired and cranky  after travel and had requested Caleb’s dad to go alone but when he insisted she heeded. If she were not there with the baby maybe we would not have bonded as well… Her many calls after that just helped us draw closer and keep in touch.

Monday morning, I called Qatar airways and Air Arabia and the cost for travel with Air Arabia was Kshs 80,000. I placed an appeal on facebook and the silence was so loud, infact I blogged about it. But God stirred the hearts of a few people and we were able to raise over Kshs 50,000. As we celebrated an offer came through another hospital in the UK that they would pay the ticket and offer free surgery to Caleb. However the medical reports needed to be sent to them and they would revert in three weeks. We were now in February and the funds that had been allocated for Caleb were given to another child on the waiting list. 

In the meantime Caleb was given medication that made him a bit comfortable and all was well. When the results came , they were negative. The hospital could not perform surgery on Caleb. This meant going back to the drawing board..i.e looking for funds. The quotations received at the time were about USD 6,000 and above. Luckily Caleb and his mum were taken to a well wisher and upon  seeing Caleb he donated USD 3,000. So we needed to look for the rest of the cash and it was back to appealing to people. For me it was a struggle because this would be the same people we had approached the time of the airfare. How would I explain that he didn’t go the first time because there seemed to be a better and cheaper option that didn’t work out?

Anyways , the NGO finally got a hospital  in India that said they would do surgery for USD 5,000. However, Caleb’s doctor was hesitant about the hospital and when I checked the hospital on the net it didn’t seem to specialize on heart issues as much as other health aspects. I recalled our cardiologist telling us that one needed to be careful when selecting hospitals for surgery, one needed one with expertise and technology. I raised my concern with the founder  of the NGO but unfortunately he didn’t sound amused .He even opted for Caleb to wait and look for another hospital in India or wait again for the hospital in UK  which had again offered to do the  free surgery but had requested for another 1 month .The founder due to frustrations felt that could be a better option. I told him that was not an option because by now Caleb’s health had started deteriorating, he was having infections, high fevers, hardly feeding and was down to 10ml per day of milk and time was not on his side. Every time I talked to the mum she was so low and I had even stopped to call her as she would just cry watching Caleb get worse by the day.

Caleb’s trip to the Indian hospital was on a Thursday and they had pursued the visa and booked the ticket through the NGO. Fortunately or unfortunately, Caleb was running fevers of 40 degrees  for 2 days and his local doctor upon seeing him , admitted him immediately to Nairobi Women’s Adams and declared he was unfit for travel. The travel had to be rescheduled.

Looking back I think that was God. In the course of that week a friend of mine who takes patients to India  to whom I had shared  Caleb’s story called and said a hospital in India was willing to do the surgery for USD. 4,500. The founder of the NGO, had booked tickets for other patients and went ahead to travel to India with them on the Thursday. Caleb’s dad went to the airport and when he asked the founder what happens to them , now that Caleb was in hospital ,the guy said he has left them to me and an assistant in his office.  He had not communicated this to me and I had visited my mum when his assistant called me and said the family was relying on me for Kshs 80,000 as she was told by the founder I would sort them out. You can imagine how shocked and disappointed I was. I had repeatedly told the NGO/founder I was just  well wisher with no money only with the heart to help in whichever way we could. Now he was gone  to India and had created false impressions that I had money? I was also mad at the Caleb’s family as I had told them I don’t have money. So when they requested to see me while in hospital, I went very furious only to find them shocked like me that they only wanted to know  the way forward  now that they did not travel but did not rely on me for money…we realized we were on our own and only God would save us with our faith.

So we started pursuing  the new option, but the hospital delayed to give us the quotation and letter required for travel. The hospital through my friend on Friday called and said Caleb’s case was more complex  than they thought and would have to revise the cost once they analyse the medical report.Now Caleb was admitted and the doctor was only going to discharge him once she saw the letter from the hospital saying they would admit the boy in India. The letter was not coming and Caleb’s flight had been booked for the Monday. We were heading to Saturday, his ticket had been changed like 4 times, and the travel agent was starting to worry, we were also not certain he would be discharged as the doctor was saying he is severely dehydrated.  She accepted to discharge him on condition that we send her the letter once we received it.

After pursuing our latest option, my friend called me on Sunday morning, the day Caleb was to be discharged , the day before their travel to inform me that the surgeon felt it was a high risk surgery and they were not ready to handle the case. They recommended that we cancel the travel until a better solution was found as they had send his medical reports to other hospitals and being a Sunday feedback was not that easy. You can imagine the shock. Through my friend we requested the hospital to consult with others before reaching the conclusion. How do we tell the mother after all the drama that they can not travel? She was ready to go home and pack yet I was to call and tell her you won’t travel? Well at around 4pm when all doors seemed to be shut, I called her explained the situation and told her that the doctors adviced they postpone the travel. I cried midway and she did too then I hang up. At that time she had guests from their church who were coming to bid them goodbye and when she told them about the travel news they went on their knees and prayed. All along what captivated me about this family especially the mother was her faith. She declared she had no money but had faith and God would work through that faith.

I received a call from my friend and she said the doctor had got a well able hospital but the surgery would cost USD 13,500. That was Kshs 1million and above. Where was all that money to come from? When we talked to the family( which we understood) they said its fine they will raise the cash..at the time we had only USD 3,000 in a travelers cheque in the name of a different hospital. So the travel date remained the same and on Monday morning I was in town by 7a.m at the travel agents office. 

Some well wishers had promised to pay some money towards rerouting the ticket  to make the travel much confortable for Nicoletta and caleb. We needed to settle that bill before we got the tickets.  The invitation letter from India came that morning and it was one stressful morning.So Caleb’s family were headed for the aiport as we met at the agents and got the tickets. That was a miracle right there and we are grateful to these people for paying. At the airport we were excited to see the Caleb and his mum ready to travel, our only prayer was that they travel safe and come back alive with all the negative reports from the many doctors. I repeatedly asked  God to sustain Caleb, after all that struggle, all we needed was Caleb back home safe and alive. I would not get to forgive myself if anything went wrong, after all the tug of wars. We also trusted that God would somehow open a door and within a month enable us to raise the monies. The agreement with the referring hospital was they would start treatment as we looked for the cash as Caleb was not doing to well health wise.

Upon arrival at the recommended hospital, they did some echos (scans of the heart) they recommended ballooning of the aorta then surgery. However, there seemed to be communication breakdown because the hospital demanded USD 10,000 (80% ) down payment.  Despite many please from the mother and ourselves they seemed to belive that a well wisher had promise to pay the money. They were adamant. We only had USD 3000 in the name of their sister company but they refused the cheque stating that it needed to be sent to Chennai (another state) and have funds transferred. That took forever to approve and eventually it never happened and we thank God. Indeed delays are not denials. Caleb would be well one day the other he would be unwell and he finally got quite sick and was on antibiotics. They stayed in the hospital for 11 days but the hospital still would not do any procedure without the cash.  When the hospital saw we were serious and wanted to transfer baby Caleb, believe it or not they started lowering the cost of surgery from 13,500 to USD9,000, to USD 7,000 to finally USD 3,000. Can you imagine when the boy had been there for all those days. It took the intervention and threats that we would go to media that they accepted to discharge him. They really frustrated and scared the mother but after consultations and and disagreements we got Narayana Hospitals who accepted to admit Caleb.

A friend’s aunt (Gracy) who also takes patients to India, found us the hospital and promised the hospital that she would pay on our behalf if we didn’t pay. This lady allowed me to camp in her office and accepted my plea and promise that we would raise the monies. She wrote a letter of undertaking to the hospital and they accepted to treat Caleb.. All the monies raised of USD 2,400 were wasted in that first hospital to clear their bill of 11 days. 

Upon reaching Narayana, Caleb was put straight to ICU. The doctors said one more day and he would have died. They gave him medication and in 2 days he was ready for the ballooning procedure. I assured Gracy by faith that we would look for money and not allow her to pay , all we needed was time. I kept telling her I don’t have the money, but I have faith we shall get it. We visited a few people and they promised by that end week they would help but to date the cash hasn’t come. But God is faithful, he uses people from East, West, South and North and God provided monies. 

By the time the procedure was being done, that  new week we managed to send USD 3,100. We were still awaiting the Chennai hospital to send the funds of USD  3,000. Caleb’s bill was USD 5,000 and of course needed medication etc. Caleb continued to recover well and was discharged from ICU to the general ward. This hospital was not after money. The Wednesday before Good Friday when we expected Caleb to be  discharged, the hospital wrote an email requesting us to send USD 900 as his bill had exceeded the quote and was now USD 6,99 because of some medical intervention they needed to do. I told God this shall not steal our joy, because we thought the mum would be refunded to get cash for medication and her stay in a guest house  for a few days before travelling back to Kenya and now we needed to look for about Kshs 80,000 and also look for more for medication and her upkeep? I  I wrote back to the hospital, narrated our story and struggles and how well wishers had really done their best and there was no more money to send asap. Infact It was headed to the long Easter weekend and where would we start?

The following day, Thursday they responded and said they will honour their earlier quotation and will refund  the extra monies to the mum for her stay in the guest house and for medication. When I read that email in traffic while driving with Samara I just screamed that God you are real!! We have seen miracles. At every turn with Caleb, there was a mountain but God had greater things in store for Caleb. He was expected to stay in ICU for 2 weeks, but he stayed for 4 days or so. He started feeding well and all those times he came so close to travel and didn’t I believe God had a greater purpose for him. Caleb means brave, warrior and this boy is a warrior. We pray that Caleb will live to fulfil His destiny and may He live for Jesus.

I recall the many times I felt like giving up after talking to the parents in their low moments, in moments when they wondered whether we made the right decision or should they just settle for the initial hospital. I remember my sister telling me, to understand because they are desperate to see their son healed and would do anything. I recall the tears , heartaches and doubt cast on me by people asking what’s in it for you? Think some thought I was getting a commission or something but yet it was just being used by God to fulfil his will. I was just a mum who had gone through something smaller and knew how he needed that medical intervention. God equips one because I had lady friends praying with us, every step every hurdle I shared with them on email/sms and asked that they pray and they did. God brought very understanding people our way and we got favour. 

Who would have thought a stranger can just send Kshs 150,000 just to clear Caleb’s bill? Who would have sent a friend’s aunt to stand in on our behalf and allow Caleb to receive treatment yet she didn’t know us. After Caleb returned and we talked she told me, “Sylvia I had a plan if you guys defaulted. I asked her why she thought we would default and she said, I didn’t know you guys but thank you for not defaulting”. Don’t you see God right there!

If I were to say thank you, it doesn’t sound enough. I say a big thank you to God . My friends call Him, the God of Caleb because indeed it has just taken God’s hand to see Caleb treated and back home. My family, for real I was in my 9^th week of pregnancy when all these drama began and they allowed me to make the calls, to do the hospital visits before Caleb left, Alex my love took care of Samara when I was there physically but on the phone throughout or wondering where things were headed.  Caleb returned when I was in my 14^th week of pregnancy.  I thank the church where Caleb and his family go, they really out did themselves and have helped this family immensely. I thank the travel agent, she also allowed me to stay in her office and vent. I thank the well wishers who paid the ticket, I thank the ladies and strangers who shared Caleb’s story and got funds that catered for his bill. I thank God for all the prayers and words of encouragement when I was throwing in the towel. I thank God for Irene who I met through that NGO, she has been a great help and may God bless you and grant you the desires of your heart.  I thank God for Sandra who thought I was a mad woman and threatened many times to take away my phone to enable me to rest, I thank God for her introducing me to her aunt and friends who helped us greatly. I can never thank you gal.Am grateful to everyone who played a role in one way or another just to get baby Caleb to where he is at now. Most thankful to the doctors and staff in Narayana that they did not think of money first but patient first. Thank you for understanding and we say God bless you all.