The Life and Times of Louis & Amber - Update on Boetie Boet

Last week I told you about a small boy named Boetie Boet. See that update for the details of his hospital stay. Basically, the doctors thought he had drug-resistant TB, and the potential treatment called for him to spend 9 months to a year in a hospital in another city. In the meantime, we were waiting for his test results. The tests involved him coughing up phlem and the doctors would take that and use it to grow samples that they could test to see what kind of TB he had. That is a six-week process before they can even determine treatment.

In the meantime, we were visiting him almost every day. Either the Niehoffs, one of the housemothers, or I would go and spend 1-2 hours with him at the hospital. On Tuesday the Niehoffs were out of town and none of the mothers were available so I went and brought him a few treats. I spent some time reading to him and started to attract a crowd. When I finished the book Boetie Boet actually wanted me to leave so he could get on with playing with his friends.

Anyway, on Thursday I dropped Mama Angelina off for a visit. About an hour later I went back to the hospital to pick her up, and there she is standing on the curb with none other than Boetie Boet himself. Apparently the tests came back and he does not have the resistant TB, but rather another strain which is supposed to be more treatable. Angelina had a bag of medications and since he has already started treatment there should be no risk of it being communicated to the other children. We are praising the Lord for this, and all the children and mothers were happy to have him back. I wish I had video of the reception he received from some of the kids, as they were so excited to see him.

The honeymoon, however, was fairly short-lived. The next day we caught one of the other children twisting his arm behind his back. We're not sure the reason, but obviously they've all adjusted quickly to having him back here as part of the family again.