Venflons, IV drips and the steady sound of the vital function monitor. The chemotherapy that scorches the illness, yet is so difficult to endure. This is not how a little person should be welcomed into this world. This is not how saying goodbye should be.
For Christabel, we had done all that could have been done, and we were ready for more. Together with you, we waited for the news from the hospital with bated breath. Sometimes more is still not enough.
We said goodbye today to a child who, in her short and nevertheless beautiful life, gained a family beyond the 250-plus kids in Kasisi, the sisters, the aunties and the doctors. We said goodbye today to a child who left a little of her heart in each of yours.
The weather in Kasisi was beautiful today and the flowers seemed to shimmer with colours stronger, as if they knew they would be laid in the place of someone special.
“Dear and sweet. I’m glad I was able to meet her and hug her.”
“Nothing will hurt you anymore, you won’t suffer… I love you”.
“Rest baby. It’s going to be all right now angel”
“An angel she was and to them she went”.
Kasisi and I read your words with emotion, in which the most important thought shines through – this one child was loved in a way that many of us may not yet have been. Thank you for giving a family to a child for whom we fought together until the very end.
We are sure that today again someone is whispering in her ear “Christabel, welcome home.”
A school kit includes notebooks, allowing children to study at home. It also includes a pair of shoes, which, if not for Kasisi, they would have to borrow from their siblings. And finally, a delicious, healthy sandwich in the backpack, which gives them the energy they need for their studies. Just like the sandwich their mother would prepare. You can pack one into their backpack today—from right here, from your own home.