In Malagasy tradition, new mothers are expected to remain in bed for weeks after giving birth. But just days after Alfredo was born, Doxie made a decision for hope that would shape her son’s future. Despite her exhaustion and physical weakness, she wrapped her newborn in her arms and went to a Mercy Ships screening center at a local hospital.
“I was determined that day,” she said. “I needed help for my baby.”
Alfredo was born earlier than expected at only seven months.
During her pregnancy, Doxie traveled regularly from her rural village to the city for prenatal checkups, but nothing prepared her for the challenge she would face.
Alfredo had been born with a medical condition no one in their family had ever seen. He had bilateral cleft lip and palate, a condition where the upper lip and the roof of the mouth did not fully close during his development in the womb.
Help other children like Alfredo
Doxie’s family hesitated to show him to her. They were afraid of how she might react.
“When they showed me the baby the next day, I was really surprised,” Doxie remembers. “I didn’t expect that. When I was pregnant and had ultrasounds, I wasn’t aware of this condition.”
Doxie struggled with conflicting feelings of joy and fear as she looked at her newborn.
“I said to the Lord, ‘What should I do for this baby, since you have given him to me?’” She recalled. “I was so afraid because I wasn’t able to breastfeed him.”
Doxie knew that without help, her son would struggle. So she took him to a local clinic where Mercy Ships volunteers were working. The medical crew examined the baby, but because Alfredo was only a few days old, he was too small for an operation.
Doxie was given an appointment for a later date, along with support for feeding and care while she waited.
No one could have predicted the extent of the challenges Alfredo would face in the months ahead. The cleft lip and palate made eating nearly impossible, causing his health to decline.
Instead of growing, Alfredo stayed small and frail. Doxie’s family feared there was no hope for the baby.
“My family suggested I go home to the village and wait, believing there was nothing more that could be done.”
The words shattered her. Alfredo was still alive. She was not ready to give up.
Desperate, Doxie carried Alfredo to the Africa Mercy to see if they could help her son gain weight before his appointment. She did not know who to speak to or what would happen. She only knew she had to try.
The medical team immediately recognized how fragile Alfredo was.
“I remember one of my colleagues coming to my desk and saying, ‘There’s a baby outside, and I’m not even sure if he’s alive,’” recalled Cobie Waasdorp, a volunteer nurse. “He was so small.”
Nurse Victoria Pannill remembers the moment Alfredo arrived on the dock. “He was flagged as being severely malnourished,” she said. “He weighed just five pounds at 6 months old. He should have weighed close to that when he was born.”
The team put him on the infant feeding program, where he would be able to gain weight.
Cobie remembers listening for the sound that revealed to her Alfredo still had strength. “When I heard him cry, I knew this boy was a little fighter,” she said. “That cry told me he was going to make it.”
Alfredo began to improve, with small changes that felt enormous to his mother. Doxie watched him respond, feed by feed, hour by hour. “I couldn’t hold back my tears of joy,” she said, “because I didn’t expect that my child could be healed.”
As Alfredo continued to gain weight steadily, Doxie took him home to wait for surgery. Mercy Ships continued providing feeding support and education, and the dietitian team helped set Doxie up with what she needed to care for Alfredo while they were away.
Months later, when Alfredo returned, he was almost unrecognizable.
“He was one year old and weighed about 16 pounds,” Victoria shared. “I only recognized him because I recognized his mom.”
Finally, Alfredo was ready for surgery to repair his cleft condition. As they prepared her son for surgery, Doxie shared about her journey, saying, “God really didn’t abandon us. Even when I felt discouraged, He was always there to comfort us.”
Today, her dreams for Alfredo are simple: “My wish for him is that he will grow up and study like every other kid and have a better future,” Doxie said.