Philemon and Maxwell both waved farewell to their carers in Mangochi recently and are now enjoying being back at home with their families. Looking at these two healthy, happy boys, it’s hard to imagine how they have coped with the journey that they have been on so far in their little lives…
Philemon and Maxwell both waved farewell to their carers in Mangochi recently and are now enjoying being back at home with their families.
Looking at these two healthy, happy boys, it’s hard to imagine how they have coped with the journey that they have been on so far in their little lives…
Philemon is a beautiful two year old who we welcomed into the home in 2016. His mother was very ill and unable to care for him or feed him so he was referred for nutritional support and monitoring.
Thankfully his mother is now well and he returned to live with her and his granny just before Christmas.
They live in a very remote village but thanks to our outreach team, Open Arms will be able to provide help and advice as needed and make sure that his family can provide for his care.
Maxwell returned home to live with his aunt at the end of last year. They had a strong bond as she was a regular visitor to the home and got to know his carers well.
Sadly, Maxwell’s mum died shortly after he was referred to Open Arms for care but he responded well to his milk and developed into a wonderful little boy.
When he was one, Maxwell became unwell and had difficulty breathing. Following a heart scan at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital in Blantyre Maxwell was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease called Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), a condition characterized by a hole in the heart.
Since then, he has been getting medications to help his symptoms and had regular check-ups to monitor his progress.
The condition has been improving steadily and at his November appointment, his heart scan revealed that the hole had naturally closed up. His doctors were pleased with his progress and he was discharged from the hospital heart disease care.
We aim to work with families to return children home at two years old but because of his health concerns, we kept Maxwell at Open Arms for a little longer.
It is fantastic to see Maxwell doing so well and we look forward to keeping in touch with the family as he starts a new chapter back at home with his aunt.
Without the experienced care and support available from Open Arms Infant Homes, both Philemon and Maxwell would have been unlikely to survive let alone move back home with their families. We can only provide these services thanks to you. If you’d can help us reach more children, you can support our team by setting up a regular gift from as little as £1. Visit www.openarmsmalawi.org/donate
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