Yobania and Jeffrey Nieto are more than 3,000 miles from home, and on a desperate mission they never anticipated would last this long, or be this hard: finding medical help for their 2-year-old son, Jesseht.
Jesseht suffers from a disorder called hypotonia, or an abnormally low level of muscle tone, and other conditions that affect his digestion and breathing. He appeared to be developing normally until around 4 months, Yobania Nieto says, but then started weakening and vomiting blood.
The family is from a small town in Nicaragua, San Pedro del Norte, and doctors there couldn't come up with a diagnosis or treatment plan. Jesseht was losing weight quickly and his was health deteriorating, so his parents started looking outside of Nicaragua for help.
They spent their savings and borrowed money from family to take him to doctors in Argentina and Mexico. When doctors there couldn't offer him a solution, they brought him to the Arizona border.
There, they say immigration officials saw the severity of Jesseht's condition _ he was limp and severely ill with an infected nasal feeding tube and had a high fever, among other problems _ and let them enter the country temporarily and head straight to a hospital.
They stayed in Arizona for several days and then boarded a bus for a three-day journey to Charlotte, where they had an acquaintance they could stay with.
Here, they spent 10 days at the Levine Children's Hospital, where he improved greatly when doctors removed his nasal feeding tube and replaced it with a feeding tube inserted into his stomach through his abdomen.
He's getting physical and occupational therapy in Charlotte. In a few months when he's better, the family will return home to Nicaragua to be reunited with Jesseht's two older siblings and the rest of their extended family.
HELP FROM STRANGERS
Yobania Nieto is struggling with being so far from her family during the holidays, but she'll have a little lift at Christmas.
Jesseht will be one of about 6,542 children registered to receive toys and clothes through the Salvation Army's angel tree program, which matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy the gifts. Some 1,547 senior citizens will also receive gifts this Christmas.
In cases where donors don't step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund. Money raised by last year's Empty Stocking Fund allowed the Salvation Army to purchase 11,541 toys and 590 gifts for low-income seniors, in addition to 925 gift cards.
Jesseht can't sit up on his own yet or grab hold of toys, but he loves playing with trucks, stuffed animals and learning toys with the help of his parents. He needs warm clothes, because his parents weren't planning on a North Carolina winter when they left their home in Nicaragua in June.
A MOTHER'S HEART
Yobania Nieto chokes up when she thinks about her two children back home, 9-year-old Diego and 4-year-old Sofia. They are living with her mom.
It's an unbearable pull for a mother's heart: seeking help for a child who might die without proper medical care, but having to separate from children who need their mom and can't understand why she's not there.
It's hard to communicate with them because Yobania Nieto's mom doesn't have a working cellphone, so they can only video call on days when Yobania Nieto's sister is visiting.
Adding to the pressure is another major issue: Yobania Nieto is due to have baby number 4 in January. She said she came north not realizing she was pregnant. She'll deliver the baby girl here in Charlotte, where dad is working in the construction industry. As soon as Jesseht's health has improved they'll journey back to Nicaragua.
"I just want to get him better," Yobania Nieto said, "and to return home."
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HOW TO DONATE
To donate to the Empty Stocking Fund online: EmptyStockingFundCLT.org.
To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, P.O. Box 31128, Charlotte, NC 28231. Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write "Empty Stocking Fund" in the memo line.
Questions concerning your donation? Call 704-716-2769.
