Haitian boy embraced in Va. home

When Darlene Gunnell watches her sons play peekaboo with 2-year-old Chrisno Jeudi and their young faces light up with laughter, she knows that she and her husband, William, did the right thing.

Just a few months ago, Chrisno was unable to raise his head and spent most of his days lying on his back, crying in pain.

Born with hydrocephalus, a condition that prevented cerebral fluid from draining off his brain, the toddler's head had a circumference of almost 30 inches and weighed almost 22 pounds, about the total body weight of many of his peers. He couldn't roll over, sit up or crawl, and he was suffering from developmental delays because of his medical condition.

Through Angel Missions Haiti, the toddler was booked for surgery in mid-September at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, which provides two surgeries a year for the nonprofit organization. But the boy needed a place to stay while he recovered.

That's where Darlene Gunnell came in.

After seeing a news program about Angel Missions Haiti and its need for a temporary home for Chrisno, Gunnell said she knew someone should help the boy.

She thought about calling a friend and sharing the story she had just seen, but then she realized her family was just as equipped for the challenge, so she called her husband and together they decided to bring Chrisno home.

Chrisno has joined the couple and their three sons, Drew, 12, Derrick, 10, and Drake, 6, in their Ringgold home for his months of recovery.

"I just wanted to do something for someone else," Darlene Gunnell said, "and I thought about what it would teach our children."

Everyone in the family has fallen for the good-natured Haitian toddler, who has advanced considerably since his surgery. Darlene Gunnell, a physical therapy assistant, works with him daily to help improve his skills.

"I'm impressed with how much the kids have helped," she said. "And you can tell they just love him."

Brenda Neugent is a staff writer at the Danville Register & Bee.