*sigh*

What a shocker...

When it rains it pours... literally as well as metaphorically.

So, both the kids have been sick, started with an ear infection, probably from the pool, then Hunter has had vomiting and diarrhoea and temperatures. Thankfully she seems to be finally on the mend; though Ray is at the doctor with her now just to get her ears checked. Sam also had an ear infection and then last night moved onto vomiting and diarrhoea, he had a terrible fever today which made him quite delirious (not uncommon for him) Ray is taking him to the pediatrician to get him checked over. So while Ray was in Delhi today I ran around the ashram doing washing (while the power is on) and hanging it out to dry between downpours all while running the kids back and forth to the bathroom and trying to keep them hydrated in the heat. I reckon I have walked a couple of kilometres today.

Added to this day... one of the patients dies last night. His name was Kalu and he arrived at the ashram about a week ago. He was an unusually tall guy, I would say well over six foot. He was missing lots of teeth and his face was very gaunt. Apparently he was a rickshaw driver. He had HIV and on arrival was diagnosed with pneumonia. He seemed to be improving throughout the week, eating more, becoming more interactive. Yesterday he called me over and I saw there was blood dripping everywhere from his cannula... not what you want from someone with HIV. Sharlene quickly cleaned him up and we gave him some water and he seemed ok. I went to bed early last night as I was so tired and knew I was going to be up a bit with Hunter so I was very surprised to learn in the morning that he went into respiratory distress late last night and died.

When I walked passed the mundeer (temple) this morning his body was there wrapped in a white sheet with a few flowers placed on his body. He didn't look so big anymore. It's funny even though he wasn't here for very long it still feels like someone is missing, probably because he was such a big imposing figure and spent his days lying in a prominent spot by the clinic.

Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow with great stories to tell.