“There is nothing that can be done for her here in Haiti, the only hope is that the Lord provides someone in the States to do this surgery, otherwise she will die.” - Dr. Mardy, Jesus Healing Center, Haiti, 2009
Nancy Call, former nurse, found Rose Julie through Love A Child, a Christian humanitarian organization working in Haiti. She stayed at the hospital for the entirety of Rose Julie's surgery, totaling five days.
With sixteen years of experience as a therapeutic foster parent, Nancy Call has amassed a large collection of dolls and toys. The Haitian government required that Rose Julie travel to the United States unaccompanied, as Haitian families are considered "flight risks" after the January 2010 earthquake.
Rose Julie must have blood drawn every day for a week following her surgery to ensure that her heart is healing properly.
Rose Julie in the front yard of the Call family residence in Dresden, Maine. After the January 2010 earthquake, Rose Julie disappeared for several weeks.
The Ryden family offers to host Rose Julie for Thanksgiving weekend. Here, Rose Julie rides with Tiernan Ryden to visit family friends in Bath, Maine.
Nancy Call and her daughters teach Rose Julie English for several hours a day. The family hopes that her improved language skills will help her find a job as an adult in Haiti.
Rose Julie shares her first Thanksgiving Dinner with family friend Dick Meller at the Ryden home in Brunswick, Maine.
Rose Julie waits for her doctor at the Maine Medical Center's Pediatric Cardiology Wing. She was originally scheduled to fly home in mid-December, but complications in her recovery required to her to stay an extra month.
Doctor John Donnelly confirms that Rose Julie's post-operation recovery is going well. Rose Julie will return to Haiti in late January, provided she clears all her medical examinations.
Rose Julie turns to say goodbye after her appointments at Maine Medical Center.
Rose Julie rides in Nancy's van through Portland after a weekly checkup. Barring any complications, she will be cleared to return to Haiti in late January. Her nation faces a cholera outbreak that the Center for Disease Control estimates has killed over 2,000 people and infected over 100,000 others.
Last year, doctors diagnosed eleven-year old Rose Julie Reby with an enlarged heart – and told her that she would die without an operation that her family couldn’t afford. Nancy Call, former nurse, brought Rose Julie from her hometown in Haiti to Dresden, Maine as a medical foster child. She received open heart surgery at Maine Medical Center on November 5th. However, life beyond crisis is no less complicated: Rose Julie must navigate a foreign culture, language, and the trappings of adolescent life in Maine as she recovers and prepares to return home.