Alexis is a six-year-old boy from Nicaragua. He likes to play and help with chores, such as feeding the chickens.
But Alexis got sick. At first his mom was not worried about him. She boiled herbs she gathered from the surrounding mountains to help him get better. But Alexis didn’t get better. He got worse and worse.
Finally Alexis was so sick he couldn’t get out of bed. Now his parents were very worried. What could they do? They lived in the mountains where there was no electricity, no trucks, and no cars. The closest place to get help was many miles away.
Alexis’ mom and dad had a prayer meeting at their house. They prayed that God would heal Alexis. Alexis got a little better, but then his face swelled and his head and eyes hurt. He could almost not walk. He was getting skinnier and skinnier.
Alexis’ parents and several neighbors started the long journey to take Alexis to CAM’s Balm of Gilead Clinic. They walked several hours to a village in hopes of catching a ride on a public transportation vehicle called a camion to go to the clinic. Since Alexis was too weak to walk there, he rode on the back of a horse.
After walking a long time, they finally reached the village. But where was the money they had brought along to pay the fare to ride on the camion? They could not find it. It must have fallen out of the bag when they were walking and now there was no money to pay for the ride! Should they give up and turn back?
No! They couldn’t do that because Alexis was very sick and needed help. Alexis’ mom was desperate to find help for her son. So they kept walking. For the next three days they walked and walked. Each night they found a kind family to give them a place to sleep and a bite to eat. Alexis cried often. He was so tired and sick.
On the third night, they stayed with a friend who offered to give them a ride to the clinic in his truck.
When they finally reached the clinic, Alexis’ mother almost cried with relief. Here, someone could finally help Alexis.
There were lots of other sick people at the clinic, but when the receptionist saw Alexis, he took him to the nurse right away. The nurse asked a lot of questions. Then she did an exam and found that six-year old Alexis had parasites. The nurse told Alexis’ mom that he had three kinds of parasites in his stomach that made Alexis get sick and lose weight.
Over the next few days, the nurse gave Alexis things to help get rid of the parasites. She told his mom that Alexis also needs to drink a lot of water, as well as a protein drink mix she gave him so he could feel well again.
Someone at the clinic gave Alexis’ mom money to travel back home in the camion. She smiled for the first time in days. She was so thankful that her six-year old Alexis was getting help and that they did not need to walk all the long way home again.
—Written by Jolene Miller, a nurse at the Balm of Gilead Clinic in Nicaragua
