Jeymi, Almost Two Years Old, Arrived at the Hospital's Nutrition Department in May 2018

Success Story: Jeymi, the Little Girl from Boca Chica "Jeymi, almost two years old, arrived at the hospital's nutrition department in May 2018. Weighing only 6.4 kilograms and 68 cm in height, she was diagnosed with protein deficiency and severe anemia, she was noticeably weak with generalized dermatitis, swollen face and body, with only some blotches of hair on her little head," said Dr. Nur Yapur, Nutritionist at the Maternal and Child Hospital of Los Mina, located in an underprivileged area of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Jeymi Genao was born prematurely in this same hospital. Her mother, of Haitian nationality, did not realize she was pregnant (or at least she assured the doctor she wasn’t), until her last month of pregnancy. As a single mother with six children, she is living in extreme poverty and struggling daily to survive. They reside in "El Valiente," an impoverished sector of Boca Chica on the east of the Santo Domingo province; where the absence of basic services such as healthcare, electricity, water, and jobs are deficits shared by the majority of the population. Since her pregnancy went unnoticed up to her eighth month and she lacked prenatal care, all the nutritional deprivations during the gestation stage were reflected in Jeymi. Dr. Nur started adding LNS-MQ supplement to a special diet for Jeymi and established monthly appointments providing her with 30 supplement packets on each visit. With the constant collaboration 1: Jeymi Genao following her of her mother and Jeymi’s will to live, her sad expression soon successful supplementation with LNS- MQ through the IFRP program. changed to one of a healthy, bright little girl full of life. Dr. Nur expressed very enthusiastically: "Before, she could not stand on her feet and now, she has the strength to walk, her anemia has decreased, and she went from 6.4 kg to 9.8 kg and grew from 68 cm to 76.5 cm in 6 months. She has completely renewed skin, a lot of hair and she is very pretty! The changes have not only been clinical but emotionally she has also had a noticeable improvement; Jeymi is not the same lethargic baby that came to my office 6 months ago. Although she still requires careful attention, her remarkable progress fills us with satisfaction." This last year the hospital has provided the supplement to 390 children through USAID’s International Food Relief Partnership (IFRP) program. "The LNS-MQ nutritional supplement is so important because it ensures the health of these at-risk children and it is of great help to the families since we’re working with, people who sometimes do not even have one meal for the day,” said Dr. Nur. “Providing that supplement ensures the provision of energy and nutrients that they need. I am excited to know that other children, like Jeymi, will also be able to overcome their nutritional challenges.” .

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