Little Emmanual:

Emmanaul has been in Cleveland Clinic for a week. His home is a slightly elevated crib in the cardiac unit of the children’s hospital. A mobile above his bed plays classical music, lullabies, or white noise. When we stop by for a visit, he looks up at us with his big brown eyes. The staff loves to hold him. Last we saw, they had dressed him in a Mickey Mouse sleeper.

Emmanual has an n-g tube threaded through his right nostril and esophogus into his stomach, which delivers him formula at the rate of an ounce an hour. As he only weighs nine pounds, the constant feeding is an effort to fatten him up before surgery. Emmanual is always gripping a pretzel stick, which he holds to gnaw on and for comfort. He also has been eating applesauce, but doesn't like to suck. This little boy will likely be discharged to a host family on Monday, as the feeding can be done in a home setting.

Emmanual doesn’t have HIV, but he may have TB and sickle cell. The TB is curable and the sickle cell is treatable, especially in the United States where Emmanual will one day permanently live. He is available for adoption, and a family from Washington State has decided to make him their son. They will be visiting Emmanual while he is in Cleveland.