Thanks to a friend who has just given me me a heads up, I realize my error in not writing an update on my 13-year-old daughter’s recovery after her illness in Malawi. Sorry! Here’s what happened…..

The last I wrote about this, Hana had just been on anti-biotics for 24 hours and we were hopeful for a quick recovery. Unfortunately, she got much worse before she got better.

The hallucinations increased - she heard voices in the attic and thought people were hiding under her bed. She was disoriented and confused to the point of being unable to take a shower. She kept turning on the water and walking into the living room, unsure what to do next.

And she was afraid - which is not like Hana. She was very afraid. She started having heart palpitations; she thought she was losing her mind. And her behavior was erratic, to say the least.

One day at Hope Village, as the choir sat in a circle during a break, Hana suddenly crossed the room and dumped a bottle of Fanta on the head of one of her friends. Something was going on in her head that had nothing to do with reality - she was convinced the boy had done something to her and she was retaliating. But a healthy Hana, while entirely capable of wrestling, chasing, spraying with water, tickling - would never waste food or drink in Malawi when thirsty kids are standing outside the gate. Of course, the choir kids thought this was hilarious, and the little boy was very gracious - promising to get her back, but they were all worried about her too. They knew she wasn’t well and in their world, people just die.

The days were difficult, but the nights were worse. For three nights straight, I didn’t sleep as I applied cool cloths to her head, read scripture to her, and prayed over her. Every hour or so, she would spring straight up in bed, and start singing every worship song she could think of. This was was how she battled the fear.

I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t improving. I went on the internet and googled Cipro to see if some of the symptoms could be side effects from the anti-biotic - that in itself scared me to death. But I still had no idea what was happening to my child.

Day after day, we continue working with the children and Hana came with us to the village, but she couldn’t function. Then one day, while we were at the immigration office, waiting to talk to the boss about a visa problem, a miracle happened.

There was one other man waiting in the office, an East Indian gentleman. He stared at us for a few minutes before he asked, “what’s wrong with your daughter?” I told him that she had been very ill and we were just trying to get home. He said “She’s badly dehydrated.”

Amazed that he could tell what was wrong by looking at her, I said “yes, that’s what the doctor said.” The man then asked me if she was on ORS - oral rehydration salt therapy. I told him we didn’t know about this, the doctor had not prescribed anything but Cipro and drinking.

But the man told me to run to the nearest pharmacy and start Hana on it immediately. He said ” it’s a Malawian thing” that saves children’s lives. When you get this badly dehydrated all of your electrolytes - potassium, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate - are depleted.

I thanked him and started her on ORS within the hour. I went back online and did some research on dehydration and electrolytes - and there were all of Hana’s symptoms. I also found out why she was completely paralyzed that first night when she woke up, burning with fever: potassium depletion. Apparently, when you reach this stage, you’re in danger. They recommend calling 911.

Slowly, but surely, Hana began to improve as she sipped the salty tasting solution throughout the day. And every time she said something loopy, I gave her a banana. I don’t know if that helped, but it made me feel like I was doing something. On her last day at Hope Village with the children, she was finally able to run around with them for a bit - but not long. She just didn’t have the strength, but at least she was coming back to her senses.

The trip back to the US wasn’t easy for her - Malawi to Johannesburg to New York to Washington D.C. to Cleveland - alot of airports. As she clutched my hand tightly, I carried both of our backpacks, guiding her on and off of the various planes. When we finally landed in Cleveland, her Dad met her with a big bottle of Gatorade, the first of many waiting for her in the frig. Over the next several days, as she hung out with her brother and sisters, she cried with both relief and sadness. Relief to be in her own home, recovering, her mind beginning to function again. Sadness because she was so sick the last two weeks in Malawi, she was unable to do the things she wanted to with the children. Sadness because she already missed her Malawian family and friends.

Looking back, I realize Hana had been righting dehydration on and off throughout the summer. There were a couple of other times when she became disoriented and nervous and complained of dizziness - she just wasn’t herself. I just didn’t know what was happening and Hana is such a strong girl - a healthy eater, an athlete, and a big water drinker. But as the doctor explained, the African sun in winter is deceptive and there is zero humidity. You don’t even realize the moisture is leaving your body.

It took about a week, for the heart palpitations, nervousness and dizziness to completely go away. But now Hana is Hana again - swimming two hours a night with her swim team, reading non-stop, and pontificating about what she reads. She has just finished two C.S.Lewis books - The Screwtape Letters and the Great Divorce - treating me to a rousing discussion I could barely keep up with.
She’s baaaaaack - and I am so very very grateful.

I could be convinced that the man in the visa office was an angel in disguise. But, at the very least, he was an answer to the desperate prayers of an anxious mother and father. I’ve seen God heal in many different ways over the years. For us, our miracle came when we walked into an immigration office at just the right time on just the right day at the same time as just the right man who had the answers we needed. Coincidence?

I don’t believe in coincidence.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Hana during this difficult time.
Those prayers kept us. No doubt.

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