Mikela was just 10 months-old and 4 pounds when she came into our lives. She was brought through the mission gates by a neighbor. She had been abandoned and left to die. She was too weak to even hold up her head. We planned for her to spend the night in the birthing center with the medical staff. The nurses were so afraid she wouldn’t make it through the night – that they brought her to me around 2am.
I fed Mikela formula through a little medicine dropper every 15-30 minutes that first night. The next day she was too weak to swallow and I had to put a feeding tube in to provide her with nutritional support. She never left our care from that moment on. It wasn’t long and she was a happy plump little toddler!
Mikela celebrated her birthday on July 11th! I still remember that first night where we prayed and sang over her – not knowing if we could save her. Now she’s 11 years old and becoming a little lady! The time has passed so quickly.
Mikela has been talking for months about wanting a glow in the dark birthday party! I had to fly out of Haiti last week for emergency back surgery and I wasn’t able to throw it for her like we planned. HOWEVER – I am SO grateful to Diane Cornelius and her team who hosted the party for us! Mikela said her party was SO AWESOME and that she and her friends will never forget how fun it was.
Everyone who came to the party got their face painted and hair sprayed with bright colors! They got glow in the dark hats, sunglasses, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, & rings! Everyone looked groovy and cool!
They dressed up, played games, had a fashion show, danced A LOT, & enjoyed pizza & cake! Mikela said all of the kids who came were so surprised because they’ve never been to a nighttime party like this before. Diane kept the party going for over 2 hours! YOU GO GIRL!
Looking through the pictures I can tell this was a very special night for Mikela and her friends! As a mother – I just want the best for all of my children. And although we don’t always have the means to provide all the extras we want for our kids- sometimes that’s not really necessary when it comes to creating special moments and memories like these.
Here are a few clips & pictures from her party!
