From Tragedy to Joy
Dr. Tom Rescues and Adopts Orphaned Little Girl
Four year-old Zaitun couldn’t move. She was so emaciated from malnourishment that her knees and hips were paralyzed. It was a frightening condition called contractures, a symptom of extreme malnutrition where joints lock up so tightly they can’t bend or straighten.
Her abdomen was distended and her body was covered in pressure sores. When she was rushed to Mother of Mercy Hospital by local community members with the help of an NGO, she arrived in tremendously fragile condition. But now she was in a place where she could receive the help she desperately needed.
Zaitun’s name means “Olive.” In its native Arabic, it carries a deeper symbolic meaning of peace, blessing, nourishment, healing, and resilience. An apt name for a little girl with the will to hold on through such tragedy and physical trauma.
Zaitun had lost her family in the Sudan war. She was left orphaned, alone, and neglected, in a harsh world where a four-year-old girl has no chance of surviving without help.
The team at Mother of Mercy Hospital immediately rallied around the little girl and began intense treatment to save her life. The hospital’s nutrition staff worked around the clock to help Zaitun recover. Dr. Tom personally entrusted her care to a physiotherapist doctor who was visiting from India.
Three times a day Zaitun was given physiotherapy treatments that included gentle stretching, repositioning, and strengthening exercises, with the goal to restore movement to her hips and legs. Initially, the tiniest movement was painful. But slowly, Zaitun began to show signs of progress.
After two weeks of treatment, Zaitun was able to sit up on her own. By week three, she could stand up with support. She started taking tentative steps. With steady nutrition support, her strength began to return.
Soon she was making remarkable physical progress. But a nagging question remained. When Zaitun recovered, where would she go? She had no home or family to return to. What would become of this little girl?
That’s when Zaitun’s second miracle happened. Hospital Director Dr. Tom Catena, and his wife Nasima, who is an RN and the Head Nurse of the Male Ward, made the decision to bring Zaitun into their family. The resilient little girl who clung to life was not only growing healthy again – she wasn’t an orphan anymore.
Zaitun was welcomed into Dr. Tom and Nasima’s family, with her two adopted brothers, Francis Gene who is age 8, and Vincent who just turned 2. The founder of Mother of Mercy Hospital not only saved Zaitun’s life, but also gave her a family and a future filled with love and hope.
Today the girl whose name means “blessing” is thriving. The visiting physiotherapist from India came back to see Zaitun two months later. The little girl was no longer terrified of doctors or treatment, smiled warmly and said, “Thank you.”
These stories of Lives Saved are made possible because of people like you. Mother of Mercy Hospital is fully funded by charitable donations and compassionate donors who support healthcare programs for people who would be without it. Thank you for saving lives like young Zaitun’s, and helping so many others whose lives are transformed because of your support.
Would you like to pray for us? Sign up for our email prayer group to receive weekly emails sharing important needs to pray for. You’ll join a faith community around the globe praying to bring hope and help to suffering people in a forgotten part of the world. Click here to find out more.