[This article was printed by Nashville news affiliate WKRN. Thanks to the staff at WKRN for their support and willingness to tell Margarette's story!]
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Little Margarette
The story of the near-death experience of a 7-year-old Haitian orphan
and her remarkable journey from Haiti to America and from darkness to sight
2/9/09 - Nashville, Tennessee
In
this week of Valentine's Day, we present a touching story of
Margarette, a Haitian orphan girl who nearly died from malnutrition and
is now going blind. She is a precious child who was brought to America
(specifically Nashville) by a Nashvillian missionary and his team, as
well as the help of a US Senator, a kind-hearted dentist, and an eye
doctor.
"One Sunday morning in Haiti, a woman who very clearly needed help
showed up at a church. In her arms she held her dying daughter,
Margarette, a 7-year-old who had the appearance of a 3-year-old.
Margarette's hair was falling out and she had temporarily lost her
eyesight because of undernourishment. Her body was weak, and her eyes
were swollen shut. When the missionaries saw her, it was as if they
were staring death in the face."
Margarette's story began in
Ouanaminthe, Haiti, where Danita Estrella and her organization, called
Danita's Children/Hope for Haiti, own property used for these needy
children. Margarette is only one of 75 orphans who would probably be
dead now if it weren't for the kindness and generosity of many caring
individuals who have supported Danita and her long-term missionaries.
One of these selfless individuals is Nashville-native Karris Hudson,
who graduated from Christ Presbyterian Academy located right here in
Nashville. Karris has spent the last seven of her twenty-eight years
caring for Haiti's sick and dying children. She is referred to as "Mami
Karris" as a term of endearment used by the Haitians, and it is she who
brings the Nashville connection.
Continuing on with Margarette's story... When she arrived at the church
that day, the team immediately had Margarette admitted to a local
hospital where she was given a blood transfusion and critical care to
keep her alive. She was released a week later but her health continued
to decline because her mother could not afford to feed her. Her life
was hanging by a thread. The missionaries knew in their hearts that God
was asking them to care for and nurse Margarette back to health.
One day, Margarette looked up at the missionaries and said, "Thank you
for not letting me die." Margarette is now a part of one of the
missionary's family, someone who believes that "there is always room
for one more in our family." She was that one. Today Margarette
is a bright, smiling little girl with hope for a bright future. Through
the diligent care of the missionaries in Haiti, life slowly returned to
little Margarette's body. 
However,
they noticed that she was beginning to show signs of rapidly
deteriorating eyesight. They learned that the severe malnutrition she
had suffered had left her permanently blind in the left eye with vision
in the right eye swiftly weakening as well. In October of 2008, the
missionaries mentioned to Dr. Snodgrass, a Nashville pediatric dentist
who had met Margarette while leading a dental mission team to Haiti,
that Margarette appeared to be losing more of her sight every day.
When the dental team returned to Nashville, Dr. Snodgrass contacted Dr.
Ming Wang, Nashville's world-renowned ophthalmic surgeon, and asked for
help. Dr. Wang immediately offered his assistance and mentioned that
the Wang Foundation may be able to cover some of the costs if
Margarette could be treated surgically. From the photograph that Dr.
Snodgrass provided, Dr. Wang was able to make a preliminary assessment
of Margarette's eye condition, and felt that corneal scarring may be
the main cause of her blindness. The rudimentary medical facility in
Haiti would not provide an adequate setting for the type of advanced
and complex eye reconstructive surgery that Margarette's eyes would
require, so the only hope she might have to stop the deterioration of
her vision and salvage her sight would be to make the trip to
Nashville, Tennessee. We prayed that she could be helped by the Wang
Foundation for Sight Restoration, a 501(c)3 charity in which Dr. Wang
performs all sight restoration surgeries, as well as pre- and post-op
care for these blind patients, free of charge.
With the help of U.S. Senator Bob Corker's office, an emergency medical
visa for "Little Margarette" was obtained in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and
Saturday, February 7, 2009, she and "Mami Karris" arrived in Nashville.
On Monday, February 9th, at 1:30pm, Little Margarette will see
Dr. Wang, thus beginning a new chapter in her life where she will
embark upon her courageous journey from darkness to light. "God has a
plan for Margarette, though we do not yet know what it is," Dr. Wang
said. "We do not know for sure if Margarette will indeed be able to see
again, but we do need to try our best, trusting in God and believing in
Him."
For information: Dr. David Snodgrass (615-370-0801,
dsnodgrassdds@aol.com), Dr. Ming Wang (615-525-3348,
drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com).
