Burning with fever, JoJo rolled over, refusing to eat the food her mother offered.
With a stoic face hiding a worried heart, JoJo’s mother rushed into action, taking her to the nearest hospital, ABWE’s Hôpital Baptiste Biblique.
JoJo was admitted by one of the Togolese physician assistants, who immediately started her on an IV and medication to stabilize her and inserted a feeding tube to prevent further infection.
In the morning, the doctors began to treat JoJo for cerebral malaria, a more advanced and deadly form of malaria. But after 10 days of treatment, they saw little to no improvement. Her little body continued to burn with fever as she fell in and out of consciousness.
HBB’s lead pediatrician was in the US for personal reasons. Without him, the staff felt little hope. As they took a step back to assess the case, they considered sending JoJo home.
But missionary Dr. Seth Mallay had one last idea to try. Tucked away in a medicine cabinet was an expensive, strong antibiotic used to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. It was rarely used because of the cost.
Closing his eyes in prayer, Dr. Mallay thought about his own children. What would he do if he was treating one of them? His decision was made. He started JoJo on a three-day trial period of the new treatment.
Miraculously, within 48 hours, JoJo was sitting up, talking, and eating food!
After another 10 days, JoJo greeted Dr. Mallay with winning smiles every time he came to check up on her. At her final appointment, she had improved dramatically, with only slight signs of brain damage.
While JoJo’s extended stay was expensive, it gave the hospital staff a chance to share the gospel numerous times with her family. Because her family couldn’t afford the final treatment cost, the hospital board agreed to use the benevolence fund to pay her bill, providing a lasting example of how Christ paid our sin debt in full.
Through loyal partnerships with supporters like you, God used HBB’s team to heal JoJo and leave a lasting impact on this family.
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