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Comings and Goings at Sarnelli House 2010

NEW ARRIVALS - CHILDREN

Sarnelli House

 Dtan arrived aged 13 years old with damaged nerves to her eyes and mouth from TB and AIDS. She has settled into the routine of Sarnelli House and her father calls her regularly even though he now works in Chiang Mai. Dtan cannot go to school until her TB and AIDS begins to improve.
Cookie aged 13 years old referred herself to the HIV medical specialist who treats her, after walking 40km from home to look for help. She is delighted to be at Sarnelli House and is looking forward to resuming her schooling in 2011.
  Heart aged 4 years old was reffered from the Fr Ray Foundation in Pattaya after he was diagnosed with HIV. He is being treated for TB as well, but he is a lively mischevious and energetic little boy. 
  Aht aged 12 years old was referred from a rural hospital almost 170 km away. He is an orphan and his grandmother was unable to care for him and 4 other grandchildren, he is on treatment for HIV.   
  Hiew aged 15 years old was refusing to take his TB medications regularly and had developed multi resistant TB, his mother and the doctors were desperate for a way to save his life. He was referred to Sarnelli House and initially his mother lived with him here, but then returned home and Hiew was finally started on treatment for his AIDS and has become compliant with taking all his tablets. He is happy to stay at Sarnelli House and resume his schooling in 2011. 

House of Hope

Eileen was born in September and came to House of Hope one day after her birth. Her mother has HIV and was going to abort Eileen but decided to deliver her and give her to the House of Hope. Eileen will be tested at 18 months for HIV.
Jonah was born 2 months premature to his 15 year old mother. She has decided to go back to school and finish her education and comes and visits Jonah when she can. Jonah is putting on weight and is alert and active.
Mathew and his 12 year old mother were referred to Sarnelli House by a government agency after it was discovered that Mathew’s mother was sexually abused over the last 2 years by an old man in the village. Butter – Mathew’s mother will live at Our Lady of Refuge Home for Girls when she resumes her education at Rosario school in 2011. Mathew is thriving.

Namtan (Sugar) returned to Sarnelli House after her husband ran off with another girl and they went to live in Bangkok. Sugar found out she was pregnant and confronted the boy about supporting her and acknowledging his child but he refused. Sugar has come back to have her baby here and hopefully finish her education and start a career to support herself and her baby. Her baby Luke was born at the end of December and is happy and healthy.  

St Patrick’s Home for Boys

 Sake’s mother is mentally slow and left Sake to go and live with her sister. Sake is 7 years old and has settled into St Patrick’s with the other gang of boys his age.
 Tdon is 7 years old and was living with his father after his parents separated when he was 4 years old. Tdon was physical abused by his father who is an alcoholic and was referred to Sarnelli House by the child welfare department in Nong Khai.
 Tdon is 18 years old and his father died of AIDS when he was a boy. His mother remarried and left to work in Bangkok. Tdon was living with his grandmother but was kicked when his aunt and uncle moved in. Tdon has a half sister with HIV living at Sarnelli House.

Our Lady of Refuge Home for Girls

May’s mother has died and her father has AIDS, she is 4 years old. She was dragged around with her father from job to job and was sleeping in huts on rice fields until she was referred to Sarnelli House. She has tested negative for HIV.  

 

NEW ARRIVALS - STAFF

Miss Som Jai filled in for maternity leave in the office at Don Wai. When this finished she was employed full time in the clinic and organizes the newsletters and does administrative work.
Miss Uay approached Fr Shea asking for financial assistance for treatment of an illness. She stayed at Sarnelli House with the kids and travelled to doctors appointments. Uay helped the children and staff at Sarnelli and has now been employed full time working evening shifts.

 

GOINGS

Ben was 14 years old when he died in June 2010. He had end stage TB and AIDS and his short life was filled with hospitals and abandonment. He came to Sarnelli House in April 2010 and despite a few smiles and some happy outings, his life was limited by the illness that ravaged him.
Noot was 16 years old when she died of AIDS and end stage kidney failure in May 2010. She had been at Sarnelli House for 5 months and during that time she was bombarded with drugs, medical procedures and hospital visits. She was sweet and stubborn and too young to die.
When 15 year old Malai who lived at Nazareth House went home to Beung Kan where her mother who has HIV lives to sort out some paperwork from her previous school, she decided not to return and is working in Chiang Mai with her younger sister.
Namtan or Sugar has been living at Our Lady of Refuge Home for Girls, and attending Rosario School. However after a few incidents of not coming home at nights and after much encouragement for her to finish her education first she decided to leave and marry her boyfriend.