Multivitamins and Love: Tales from the Medical Camp at Prasanthi Nilayam
Volume 2 Issue 18 Oct 2004 Window to Sai Seva
 


I went back up the hallway, searching for the woman who had discovered the baby. When I found her, she was clad in a simple sari, holding the tiniest infant I have ever seen. The baby's arms were skeleton-like, and when I reached down and touched the baby's head of soft black curls, I could easily feel the bony skull beneath them. The woman was cooing to the baby, who was looking back at her with large, beautiful, brown eyes—smiling, which is unusual for babies so young.

As I watched the woman talk to the tiny infant, I was overcome with the love that was pouring from the woman to the baby. I knelt down and let the infant grab my finger. Although weak and extremely malnourished, she had a strong grip. Then the infant turned her head and smiled at me. Soon I was lost in the depths of her big brown eyes and the sweet smile on her tiny lips.

The woman told me that she had been taking care of the infant and planned to continue doing so even though she had other children. Without being found, cared for, and accepted by this kind woman, the helpless infant would never have had a chance to live.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 
Print Version