Majlinda & Enea in their one room "house"
Profiles: Majlinda & Enea
A mother's love is a beautiful thing and a powerful force. We have certainly witnessed that with Majlinda and Enea, a mother and son that we have helped through the Soup Kitchen. There was something in the way Majlinda talked to us about her son and her desperation that told us that we had to help.
Enea has a rare blood disorder known here as Talasimia. We have had doctors we know examine Enea and they have confirmed what Majlinda told us from the first day we met her:
- Enea's condition is serious and he has a greatly reduced life expectancy.
- His symptoms are severe, from obesity & listlessness to extreme vulnerability to lung infections and pneumonia.
- He needs a lot of medicine to control his symptoms and fight infections.
- The only possibility of a more permanent cure lies with an expensive bone marrow transplant operation, completely unavailable in Albania and way beyond their means.
The first thing we always do before getting involved in helping a family directly is to visit them at 
their home. The picture on the right shows the condition in which Majlinda and Enea live. Their "house" is a one room shack about the size of a walk-in closet. The picture was taken looking into their front door, so you can get a sense of how small it is. The toilet is at the head of the bed, behind the red curtain.
The first thing we did was to get them a bed, as they were sleeping on the floor and Enea was constantly getting sick from the cold and damp. Next, we tried to address the medications that he needs to take. With the help of our friend, Dr. Spiro Prifti, we worked out his medicines which we buy for them on a regular basis. We also provide lunch for Majlinda at the Soup Kitchen and give her lots of food to take home to Enea.
In November, Enea became so sick, he had to be hospitalized for 10 days. Majlinda basically lived in the hospital during this time and we made sure she had enough to eat and that she had enough money to pay for his care. We were all relieved when Enea was able to come home.
We have visited them at their home many times and have become friends with their landlord. He is a good man and we have worked together with him to make sure that Majlinda is secure in the fact that she has a place to stay and won't be kicked out of her "house". We are trying to find her work as a domestic, but these opportunities are few and far between here in Albania. We continue to be inspired by her love for her son and her determination to do the best for him!
Please pray for Majlinda and Enea, and please know that your support helps us to impact situations like this!
Pauline with Enea & Majlinda on his 6th birthday!
