"Miracle Boy"

I believe in a God of miracles.  Let me share why.

Giovanni Pierre-Louis is a 13 year-old boy from Haiti.  He is currently living with me in Belmont, MA (Boston area).  He was brought to the states in June of 2010 to receive burn care treatment from Shriners Hospitals for Children.  Giovanni is a sweet boy – whom most call the “miracle boy.”  Approximately 2 years ago, Giovanni was in a horrific accident while playing outside with two friends in Haiti.  A high power electrical wire snapped when Haiti Electric turned back on the power following a hurricane. It fell on Sebastien, Giovanni’s best friend.  The wire was live and his friend was instantly killed.  Giovanni tried to save Sebastian’s life, but in the attempt was also electrocuted.  The most severe injury was to his head, where the electricity literally blew the top of his head off.  He is missing a portion of his skull and has no hair on much of his head.  His father, Yves, has tirelessly worked to save his son’s life.  He carried him in his arms after the accident, seeking medical care.  He struggled to find someone who would help, but medical care was difficult to find.  St. Croix Hospital in Leogane had been closed for several years.  He eventually found help in Port-au-Prince.  (Giovanni gave permission to share his story and pictures)

For the last couple of years, Giovanni has spent time in the Dominican Republic receiving additional medical care.  This has required that Giovanni, his mom, Laurente, and his sister, Lauryka, live apart from their father and husband.  Yves has spent all he has ever earned trying to keep his son alive.  In a strange sort of way, last year’s earthquake provided a huge blessing to Giovanni and his family.  A group of American doctors learned about Giovanni and his struggle to survive while they were in Haiti providing medical care to the victims of the earthquake.  Chuck Peterson, one of the doctors, was deeply touched and became compelled to do all that he could to help save Giovanni’s life.  He worked tirelessly to find a burn center in the United States to take Giovanni.  Shriners in Boston stepped up to the plate.

Giovanni has already endured several procedures to cover his wound with skin grafts.  He still has a long road ahead.  His surgeons are attempting to reconstruct his scalp by identifying areas on Giovanni’s head where the skin can be stretched and pulled up over the wound.  This requires a number of surgeries, painful procedures to do the skin stretching, and lots of time.  The amazing thing is that Giovanni never complains, even when it hurts so bad that he doesn’t think he can “stand up”.  Instead, he always gives a sincere “thank you” to everyone who helps him.

Giovanni is a remarkable young man.  He is an absolute delight to be around.  He lights up every room he enters and people are drawn to him.  We have a saying that is frequently used: “Everyone loves Giovanni.” Giovanni loves everyone back.  In fact, he was recently asked, “who are your friends at school?”  Giovanni replied with a perplexed response of, “well, everyone is my friend.”  He sincerely considers everyone his friend and couldn’t imagine them otherwise.

Giovanni is incredibly intelligent.  He now speaks 4 languages: Haitian Creole, French, Spanish and now English.  He wants to learn Chinese and sign language next!

Giovanni has a wonderful sense of humor and keeps me in stitches.  He has a love for life.  Everything is a new adventure to him and he approaches life with excitement. The first time he drove in a car while it was raining was magical for him… and for me.  He was fascinated by the mist coming off the cars on the freeway and laughed with enthusiasm every time we hit a big puddle.  That day, he gave me the gift of seeing life through a different lens.

Giovanni has a network of people who help him.  We call this network Giovanni’s “Dream Team.”  It includes people who help take him to frequent doctor’s appointments, invite him to their home on Saturdays, keep him while I travel for work, help with homework, mentor him, give him rides to school… and the list goes on and on.  It really is remarkable the number of hours that people have given as service to helping Giovanni.  Just that, in and of itself, is miraculous.

Unfortunately, Giovanni is in the states without his family.  Yves and Laurente have struggled to get Visas to travel to visit their son.  Recently, his mother, Laurente received a temporary Waiver Visa, but his father, Yves, was denied.  Giovanni was deeply saddened when he heard the news.  His father is his hero and he misses him terribly.  I believe in miracles, and I believe we can reunite this family for a visit in the States.  I’d like to call everyone who reads this blog to action.  Please write to your senator and congressman and others with influence to request that Visas will be approved for Giovanni’s father, mother and sister.  (Yves, Laurente, and Lauryka Pierre-Louis)

If you are unsure of who to write, Senator John Kerry from MASS would be a good option.  You can send an email by looking up this address: http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/

Or you can send a letter to this address:

Senator John Kerry
Boston
One Bowdoin Square
Tenth Floor
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 565-8519

Or call Senator Kerry at: (202) 224-2742

Please include Stephanie Granger’s contact info.  She is assisting with the Visa process.  Her number is 978-589-9893. 

Giovanni’s birthday is May 20^th.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to reunite this family for a birthday celebration?  Perhaps to celebrate Mother’s day, or Father’s day?  Please help make this miracle happen.

Giovanni and I will provide frequent updates to this blog so everyone can follow his life in the States.  Thank you for your support and prayers.

Please feel free to leave comments.