Sean was already at the United Nations headquarters when I arrived. He was the only orphan boy, and, as a result, we gave him a lot of attention.
Former Miami Heat player Alonzo Mourning was with us and wanted to adopt him, as did I. Sean was my little shadow, and by the end of my stay he had taken to calling me “Maman.”
Sean is 9 years old, and from what we can understand, his father died before the earthquake and he had been living with his mother and grandmother. He said that the “earth shook, and the roof fell down on my mother,” and he was covered by heavy debris. We don’t know what happened to the grandmother or if he has any relatives alive. Sean has nightmares, and he wakes up screaming and pointing to the sky.
His injuries are not major, but they were still life-threatening due to the possibility of infection. The top of his right hand is literally a crater, and you can see almost down to the bone. He has lacerations on both legs and a hole in his forehead that cannot be stitched.
It seemed evident by his behavior that he was a tough street kid, and he quickly went from a gentle, lovable boy to a terror. No one could change the dressings on his wounds because he would run away or try to bite the nurses.
So, the day after I arrived I gave him some pain medicine and held him down while the doctors changed the bandages. I took him to meet Stevenson, the boy who had had his arm amputated, and had Stevenson tell Sean it was important to change the bandages so he wouldn’t get an infection and have to cut off his arm too.
He fought hard, and I asked for more pain meds, but the doctor gave him an injection of the wrong medicine. He gave Sean hydromorphone instead of hydrocodone, which is 10 times stronger. The medics immediately responded by putting him on a hand ventilator, since there was no oxygen, and an IV flush. Afterward, I had to walk him around the hospital for five hours to keep him awake. Finally, they let him sleep with me so I could monitor his breathing.
He developed a crush on Sendy, a 10-year-old orphan, and would delight in stealing and hiding her things. I found him under the table one day with a box of cookies under his shirt, and as punishment I made him come with me and hand a cookie to every patient in the tent. After that he gave me the evil eye and said he didn’t like me anymore.
He changed his mind once it was time to eat again, and he came begging for the piece of sandwich I had in my mouth. Of course, I gave it to him. |
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Sean Jonashude was the only orphan boy at the United Nations headquarters and became the joy of many aid workers.
Photo by Lisa Lucas
Photo by Lisa Lucas |
