#4 - A Visit to the American Medical Clinic

 Dear Family and Friends,

Yesterday afternoon, Tuesday the 21st, found us on our way to the American Medical Clinic. A check out at the clinic is the normal practice for immigration to the US and usually takes place after the court hearing. In this case, though, we moved the exam up because Max still seems quite ill – no fever, but lots of deep chesty coughing. All three children were examined by a terrific doctor – Dr. Anna. She is Ukrainian, and, I think, did her training in the US. Her dedication to the children shone through everywhere. Max’s diagnosis was severe bronchitis threatening to turn into pneumonia. She was very concerned and we will go for a followup visit on Thursday. We came away with a handful of prescriptions – antibiotics, decongestant, vitamin C tabs, and nose drops for all three. Poor little guy. The amazing thing has been that, as ill as he has been, his character has stayed so very dear. All three children are small for their ages, but this is not unusual for children from the orphanages. At one point during Max’s exam, she said, “You are so right to take him, there is no future for him in this country.” Given what we have seen just in our limited time, this rang very true. According to a poll in the Kyiv Post, nearly 50% of the population does not have a job. We just don’t realize how incredibly blessed we are to live in the US.

The days are now very full with three kids. They would stay glued to the television if we  let them, but we have tried to use it sparingly. We are trying to use the morning time for some kind of educational time whether its working on letters or playing educational games. The afternoons we try to go out.

We continue to be amazed at the amount of food the kids are consuming. Yesterday breakfast: Oatmeal, cereal, apples, bananas, juice, milk, bread, cheese. Supper was hotdogs, dried cereal, mashed potatos, raw cabbage (Kapusta!), carrot sticks, cole slaw, bread, cheese, milk, fruit juice, water, bananas and apples. Oksana took a bite, with great relish, out of a raw onion, just as if it were an apple. Wow! Just wait until she hits our Wadmalaw Sweets! They love bananas and would (and have) eaten three of four a day just as snacks. Oksana has a bit of a sweet tooth but the other two don’t. The day seems like one great big long meal. We are very glad to be in an apartment and located near several supermarkets as we are making two or three trips a day just to keep the larder stocked. When the doctor said that the antibiotic had to be administered on an empty stomach, I realized I’d probably have to wake Max up in the middle on the night to give it to him and, so I did. Today is a rainy day in Kyiv, so we will try to find indoor things to do. Our deepest thanks for all of the good wishes and prayers. We are grateful. Love to all, Jennie

ps.  More pix of the three wild Ukrainian peppers