Tune in on Friday morning and evening to Fox 7 News Austin to hear an incredible story of God’s provision for a little girl named Ruth. Ruth came with her father, Moliere, to a medical clinic run by Dr. Ric Bonnell in Pierre Payen called Kay Mackenson. Since birth, Ruth has had extreme leg swelling in her left leg and pelvis due to significant blockages of the lymphatic and venous systems. This swelling is not due to an infection (e.g. elephantiasis) or a malignancy. Rather, it is a birth defect called a cardiovascular malformation. Unfortunately, due to the weight and size of her leg, she has limited mobility.

She arrived 3 weeks ago to undergo evaluation and treatment at Dell Children’s Hospital. My husband, Coby, and Ric both run medical clinics in Haiti. It takes great teamwork to accomplish a huge task of bringing an international patient to the U.S. She is under the care of an amazing team of doctors: Dr. Ric Bonnell, Dr. Philip Neff, Dr. Moises Levy, Dr. Coburn Allen, Dr. Patrick Kelley and many more.  They have worked together to come up with her treatment plan, which includes chemotherapy, in hopes to shrink the size of her leg. During her stay in Austin, Texas, she has been staying with my family. We are having a blast hanging out with her!

Obviously, it is expensive to take care and treat this sweet girl. Her current treatment plan is estimating her care to take up to 2 years. She will need to have future visits to the U.S. to evaluate her progress. If you are interested in donating to her care, please click here: Ruth Jacques.

Ruth & Avery are so cool!