The Story of Tchale: Burn Victim
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The little girl lay on her stomach, resting her head on a small copy of the New Testament. Six-year old Tchale Pierre had burns from the middle of her back all the way down to her toes. Deep, penetrating third-degree burns. Villagers infected with malaria, typhoid and tuberculosis lay in beds just inches away. Welcome to the mountain village of Pignon, Haiti.
Presentation Sisters and Associates help support the Haiti Medical Mission of Fargo-Moorhead, a surgical team that travels to the same village every year to perform cleft-lip, burn, tumor and OB/GYN surgery for its residents. The trip in January was the team's sixth visit. The small village has no electricity or running water. A generator powers the operating room at the hospital made of cinder block.
Because the little girl's burns were so severe, we decided we could not do skin grafting because of the lack of blood supply in the village (no refrigeration). So we got on the satellite phone and began calling the states, and arranged to get her to the Shriner's Burn Center in Texas. But one problem: how to get her there. She could not sit up. She had to lay. We arranged for a missionary plane to airlift her to Florida and then we hired an air ambulance with a nurse to bring her to Texas. She is getting skin grafts and treatment there. Doctors gave her two weeks to live without the medical care...infections were setting in.
So many kids are burned in the village. Mothers still use outdoor cooking fires to make meals of rice and beans, and the children often trip and fall into the flames. Sadly, we had to leave behind a ten-year old boy who was burned just as badly as Tchale.
But the success stories are many. Kids with cleft lips go home with a new face...a chance to go to school. And what a blessing to see the work of the Presentation Sisters. Every year they donate money to our mission so that I can buy goats for single mothers in the village. I saw the goats, met the mothers and saw what an impact these little animals have. Last year's goats had babies recently, and so the circle continues.
We will keep you all posted on the progress of the little burned girl.
Donations are being accepted at any State Bank of Fargo under "The Tchale Fund, Burned Haitian Girl." We are trying to raise ten thousand dollars to pay for the medical airlift and her joyous return to Haiti. I hope to go!!
- Kevin Wallevand
