My Friend's DAUGHTER - English Version

Dear Readers,  below please find a mail from one of my old friends, who are now fighting for the health of his dear baby girl.

For anyone who has any ideas, or link to anything that can support them , be it financial resources, second or third opinion from medical doctors, support groups, institutions that care about these cases...please kindly let us know...

Thanks a million for reading this page and giving us input and ideas.  Please find the e-mail addresses on the bottom of this page.

Dear All, I finally gather all my strength to write on this (it has been so hard to experience it, not to mention remembering and writing it).

 

It all started on February 12, 2007, my daughter was born at 06.00 and 10 minutes after the doctor came to me, it felt like my happiness was shattered to pieces.  The gynecologist told me there was something wrong with my baby… Oh God.  There was a lump on the tummy skin…hopefully it was just excess fat.  I decided not to tell my wife directly, who was physically and mentally not stable yet. 

Later during the day, a pediatrician came and told me that they did not want to make any diagnosis yet, so we would have to consult an urologist.  The urologist came and said that the lump was the bladder that was ruptured and located outside.  This required immediate surgery because it was related to function (urinate) and to avoid infection.  The surgery was required to fix and put the bladder inside the stomach.      

Oh God…I was silent.  I really did not understand what was going on.  In the evening my dad came, all so happy. He arrived at the hospital, took a shower, and then I told him about the “disaster”.

This was the day that changed my life.

The next day I asked the doctor to explain to my wife, together with the whole family.  She was crying all day long and could not sleep, angry, sad, heartbroken….

Then started all the days of illness.  My daughter started a string of medical tests, from infusion injection, blood test, even transfusion. 

Wednesday, February 21, 2007, my 9 days old daughter went through surgery, one of the longest 4 hours in my life.  It felt like I almost went crazy, waiting for her.  The doctors came out and told me that the surgery was successful.  I could start eating on Thursday.

On Friday, we organized joint prayer at home and I sat there and shared how grateful I was for the surgery, for the fear I experienced and that the surgery was a success. 

Sunday, February 25, 2007, my baby had to have her pad changed and during that time the stitches were a bit opened and finally fell apart.  I asked the nurse to call the doctor.  

Monday, February 26, 2007, the surgery was REPEATED (really crazy) for 3.5 hours.  I had such mixed feelings, even worse than the first surgery.  The doctors came out and told me that it was successful and that they had done everything that they could.  Hopefully it would not be ruptured again.  I told the doctor that if it failed again I would go nuts.  

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, my wife called my from the hospital, saying that our daughter choked on her milk, had difficulties breathing, turned blue and went straight to NICU, maybe for around 3 weeks.  Each and every day I feel like going crazy.  Sometimes her breath simply went away that she needed oxygen and even ventilator.  Her temperature was high, food infusion…. There were so many cables and tubes connecting to her tiny body.  Here, my daughter got an infection and her stitches were ruptured again…meaning…ANOTHER SURGERY. 

Sometime after recovery from NICU, the doctor told me that we should beter transfer our daughter to RS Karyadi [the central provincial hospital in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia-red], the biggest state hospital in Semarang, because in the education hospital there are many more experts and the doctors will work easier in Karyadi.  

To make the story short, on Thursday prior to Good Friday, my daughter went through her third surgery….FAILED.  They even could not do anything.
Since Thursday afternoon until Friday late afternoon, no doctor came to use and explained clearly what would be done to our daughter.  Could you imagine the horror of living without knowing what we should do and without any aim in the future?

So horrible. 

And then the doctor told me to bring our daughter home, to take care of her at home, and that we should return in 3 months time to receive treatment with a new method.

Sometimes I am asking myself, ”Is this doctor really serious or what??”  2 months hospitalized, 3 times of failed surgeries, without knowing what to do next came to use saying that there is a simpler method….without me knowing whether this method is carefully chosen and reviewed or not…  

Finally I was only thinking on how to get her home.  Since we were worn out, physically and mentally, and of course…the cost of staying in the hospital.

 

Now [April 26, 2007, the time the mail was written-red], my daughter has been home for around 2-3 weeks.  She did not become better since she came out of hospital, and even worse, since she came home with her problem still unsolved, plus wounds of drug injection, marks of transfusion, blood tests, vena section, surgeries, infection marks and her other wounds.  I feel like soldier losing a battle.  

I still request for prayers.  We are still taking all efforts to try to find a solution for our daughter’s health. 
It feels so hard.

Btw, we really thanks you all for your love to use, through you visit, SMS, and money.  It broke our heart to receive your donation, but it turned out to be very useful…and we really thank you…

The father of Marina Gabriela.

Antonius Arie Wibowo :  uampuhman [at] yahoo [dot] com

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