Uganda: Tommy-Our first dying baby

5/13/1995: Jackie and I went to the children's hospital to introduce ourselves to the doctors and nurses and explain our mission to start a home for dying babies. When we got there, we saw a rundown hospital with one doctor, 2 nurses and about 500 babies, all starving with multiple diseases. the hospital was filthy and the combined smells of urine, feces, vomit, medicine and food filled the hall. Broken windows and live electric wires were seen throughout. Small children rested on urine drenched mattresses while Moms lie on the floor nearby.

We spoke to the overworked, stressed doctor saying we were opening a home for dying babies. He replied, "Oh, you want to open a home for dying babies, huh? Here, take this one, he's going to die anyway." He handed us a boy who was 2 years, 10 months old and weighed 5K (11 lb). 

 Jackie named him "Tommy" because his upper arm was as thick as her thumb. He was so weak, he couldn't hold his head up. When we got him home we learned why he was a starving baby. He refused to eat anything. He would kick, scream, bite, hit, anything to keep food out of his mouth. We had to hold his arms and legs down. It would take us 20 minutes to get bite into him and then he would quickly vomit it up. He was an extreme anorexic/bulimic.