Big heart The French NGO allows a little girl, who lives in the Republic of Congo and whose operation there failed, to be treated at Paris
Ghislaine surrounded by her foster parents, Jacques and Françoise Verdin, at their home in Marly-le-Roi, Thursday November 17. — Aude Lorriaux
- Ghislaine, 4 years old, suffers from a bilateral cataract which risks making her almost blind, and could not be treated in her country, the Republic of Congo.
- Thanks to the support of the NGO La Chaîne de l’Espoir, she will be able to be operated on this Friday and the following Friday at the Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital , with one eye then the other.
- In the meantime and for her convalescence, she is welcomed in Marly-le-Roi by a retired couple, Jacques and Françoise Verdin, who have already hosted and taken care of 27 other children sent by the association since 1999.
She is very cute, with her pink sweater, her matching cat-shaped slippers, and her Hello Kitty elastic. Looking at her so wise and smiling, we do not imagine that there is above the head of this 4-year-old child, who lives in the Republic of Congo, a dirt. sword of Damocles. Or rather above his eyes. Because Ghislaine has a bilateral cataract, which would risk making her almost blind if she had not benefited from the treatment. the support of the NGO La Chaîne de l’espoir, which organized coming to France to have the operation.
“You came home to take care of your eyes, my little mother,” slips her foster mum Françoise Verdin, giving her a kiss, as the little girl comes up naturally on his knees. Françoise and Jacques Verdin, who have a pavilion at Marly-le-Roi (Yvelines), near about twenty kilometers from Paris, welcomed Ghislaine to; the airport on Saturday 12 November. She arrived at the same time as another 7-year-old girl, whose operation at Brazzaville had also given nothing.
“Humanitarian work without leaving home”
La Chaîne de l’Espoir, which has been in existence since 1994, usually welcomes children with severe heart disease, and operates mainly directly on site, at the hotel. abroad. “We are moving towards cooperation in the countries in which we operate, the objective is the autonomy of these countries”, explains Christine Couton, the association’s press officer. In 2021, 90,000 children benefited from of its programs including 6,850 operated. This year, about 70 children are transferred to France, for a period of a few weeks to three weeks. several months, depending on the severity of the medical intervention.
Ding, dong, a big metal and wood clock, of the comtoise type, strikes 11 o’clock. The little girl watches, impressed by this sound that she doesn’t seem to know. Jacques and Françoise Verdin stop talking for a second, gaze at her tenderly, accompany her astonishment. That’s it! already more than 20 years of welcoming children from « the Chain », they say. Ghislaine is the 27th, but she was still « highly anticipated,” explains Françoise Verdin, a nurse by training. “ As soon as the Channel tells us when she is coming, we mark on the board “Ghislaine is coming”. Ç’we would really miss having no more children. We searched for to doing humanitarian work without leaving home », completes Jacques Verdin, retired; who worked in television.
Three weeks of convalescence
The married couple for 51 years has been working to; that the little girl has everything she needs in the weeks she spends in France, before and after the operation. “ They arrive with few clothes and often not adapted, because to Brazzaville, it’s hot. She came with flip flops, so we bought small shoes, tights… », explains Françoise Verdin. “ Do you hear it? She hums. So she is fine. We noticed that it usually took us 48 hours to convince », adds her husband.
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This Friday is the big day, the little girl is having her right eye operated on. the Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation Hospital, near Buttes-Chaumont, at Paris in the 19th arrondissement. Before the second operation one week later. This will be followed by three weeks of convalescence in order to monitor and prevent any risk of infection before being able to find their parents at home. Brazzaville. For the last days, Françoise Verdin planned to draw a calendar with an airplane in the last box. “And I’ll take him to Eiffel Tower. We will buy small odds and ends at bring back to his family.” With the hope that the little girl will be able to contemplate the small Eiffel towers for a long time.
La Chaine de l’ through the “Getting to Zero Day” campaign, ” find on their website.