In Spartanburg, there was a tiny baby, named Steve, who lived in a small 1 bedroom apartment with his mom, dad, 2 sisters, and a brother. He spent most of his time in a little portable crib called a pack-n-play in the back corner of the small bedroom. He was hungry and dirty and very unhappy.
There was lots of activity in the house but it was hard for Baby Steve to get the attention he needed. He couldn’t talk or explain that he needed a clean diaper or that he wanted a bottle. It was loud, and his cries for help didn’t get anyone’s attention. Baby Steve was sad and no one smiled at him.
Feeling hungry became so normal that Baby Steve didn’t cry about it anymore. He was forgetting how to suck a bottle and he stopped growing. His mom and dad would hold him but they didn’t know what he needed. They didn’t realize how sick he was becoming.
Every month women from the Department of Social Services, or DSS came and looked at Baby Steve and would hold him. They were so nice to him but always seemed concerned that he wasn’t growing. Babies should learn to sit up and try to crawl, smile, and make baby noises, but Steve didn’t know how. When the women left, Mom and Dad would argue about taking him to a doctor, but they never did.
One day Baby Steve went with Mom to take his brother to the doctor because he was sick. The doctor helped his brother but started asking mom lots of questions about Steve - how often he ate, how much he ate, if he was able to hold a bottle, sit up, or crawl, or if he cried when he was hungry… all the answers were no. Steve was 9 months old. He should have been able to do all these things. The doctor knew immediately that something was wrong.
Baby Steve's Story is an incredible story of a medically fragile child in foster care that is included in PS I Love You's 2024 Mission Kit. "Steve's" story is real but all names have been changed to protect the privacy of all involved. For more information about engaging your church or child's organization, visit https://www.psiloveyouministries.com/missions
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