Bryson

A few weeks ago, Ronnie (the Canadian co ordinator here) gave me a referral that had been written for one of the kiddies at my orphanage, Bryson, to see an eye doctor. When you meet him, it's obvious that there is something a little off kilter with Bryson. Hard to put your finger on at first, but after a while you can see that he is not developmentally where he should be. His pupils are constantly dilated and he runs crookedly with his hands outstretched in front of him. We were told that he had spent the first month or so of his life on his back and in a dark room. It was assumed that the problem was mostly in his eyes. That is what I was determined to figure out.

I got the the orphanage in the morning and asked Juliet to let one of the mama's know the plan for the day. Around 10, mama Suzanna and I left with Bryson. Once again, we were a spectacle on the dala dala; the white girl and an older woman carrying a baby. One in a traditional Khanga, one in jeans, and the other without shoes on a back.. I'll let you guess which is which.

We got to the clinic and met up with Ronnie. The eye doctor saw us right away. She was a middle aged Tanzanian woman who seemed to know what she was doing. Bryson sat on the lap of the mama as the doctor held objects in front of him, seeing how well he could track. I really had no clue what was going on and couldn't determine from watching what the prognosis would be. In the end she said that no, the problem was not with his eyes. They are developmentally behind, but no problems seemed to be present. She said that he was mentally disabled. Right away I asked what we could do, but in Africa there really isn't much. She just shrugged and gave us a name of a pediatrician who we would have to hunt down.I really wasn't sure how to take this news. It was almost a relief to have an answer, but with that answer so many more questions arose. I guess from here we just wait and see...

There is so much that I wish I could do here, it's getting harder and harder every day not being able to have a quick fix to the problems that are constantly presenting themselves. One step at a time is the best I can do.