Bad news…

The other night I came home after meeting up with some friends to find the neighborhood shrouded in darkness. The bare bulb gold shimmer that usually breathes through torn lace curtains illuminating splintered wood frames and the empty gray halogen street lamp glows were all gone – The electricity was out in Logbaba.

I walked up to the house to see Solange illuminated by candlelight, which breathed through our lace curtains. She had food laid out for me as usual and we began to eat together, and talk about this and that.

I asked how her doctor trip was today and if her stomach was feeling better. Through broken French utterances in the past week I had got the sense that she had a stomach issue that I didn’t think much of.

However, as she began to describe the trip, and produced a small notebook with sonograms, diagrams, and the usual undecipherable physicians scrawl, I understood that this was something more serious.

I came to grasp that she has an extremely large cyst on her ovary and needs to have an operation as soon as possible. She has known this since January, and the comparison between the sonograms then and now showed that its growth rate is alarming.

By the tone of her voice I understood that up until now this was something she had not made a big deal of, brushing it off with prayer and a strong countenance, but could see now in her face that this was something greater, especially as she has no way to afford the operation.

The operation would cost $1,000.

I told her that I would be able to raise half that much, if a friend in Germany would be able to cover the rest. So far I have received $320 and am extremely grateful for everyone who has been able to help me help them.

However, this is a new and more urgent call for help. If these children lost Solange they would end up on the street.

This is also not to mention the entire community that benefits from her leadership and activism to fight AIDs and defend children’s rights.

So taking this into consideration I hope you will help me help Solange, so she can get the operation she needs and can continue her fight to defend these kids and the greater struggles that dominate their depravity.

After we were finished speaking the lights went on, as if it signaled to us that there was nothing left to do, but hope.

She flung herself on the couch like a little girl and giggled because she said now she would be able to sleep. I asked why and she said because she can only sleep if the lights are on.

I think I will always find that strength is a paradox.  I hope you will help me keep this beautiful paradox alive.

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