MONROE — Alaina Arnold was always a healthy baby.
She dodged the usual childhood ailments. She never even had a serious diaper rash, said grandmother Cynthia Arnold.
Then Alaina went to Brazil with her family in December.
The 23-month-old Monroe girl came down with a fever that developed into far more serious medical problems, family members in Monroe said.
Now, she is stuck with her parents and sister south of the equator as her family in Monroe struggles to bring the group home.
“Every time we turn around, it’s an obstacle,” Alaina’s grandmother said.
The Arnold family knew their trip to Brazil would have sad moments. They just didn’t realize it would have so many.
On Dec. 19, Stacy and Eloise Arnold took their daughters Alaina and Amelia, 4, to Florianopolis, an island city just off of Brazil’s southeastern Atlantic coast.
They were visiting Marta Zenger, Alaina’s other grandmother.
The family was going to spread the ashes of Alaina’s grandfather, Skip Zenger. Before he died in June in Washington, he requested his remains be scattered in Brazil, where he met his wife.
The Arnold family planned to stay in the country until Jan. 14, celebrating Christmas and the New Year with Marta Zenger, who was still coping with her husband’s death.
Soon, though, the Arnolds were coping with Alaina’s problems.
The family went to the beach days after their arrival, and Alaina suffered a massive amount of mosquito bites, Cynthia Arnold said. She developed a fever and began vomiting.
Doctors said she would get better. Instead, she got worse.
Her fever hit 106.5 degrees, family in Monroe said. She developed a series of infections. An MRI revealed she had abscesses on one of her kidneys and four of her organs were abnormally enlarged.
Alaina’s fever dropped, but the Arnolds still can’t come home.
For one thing, Alaina might not be able to fly at all. Doctors need to check the abscesses on her kidney first, to verify they won’t burst with a change in altitude and air pressure.
The Arnold family also must leave Brazil as a unit; travel restrictions in that country require all four take the same flight home, Cynthia Arnold said.
And Alaina needs a nurse to join her on the flight. The original cause of her illness has yet to be determined, and she must be kept on an intravenous line that meets airline requirements.
Family members in the U.S. are trying to make arrangements, but so far, nothing has come together. They suspect the earthquake in Haiti has redirected aid groups that usually would help them.
“We’re looking for a nurse,” said Jeryre Zelinsky, Alaina’s aunt. “And if somebody really wanted to give up their jet, we’re OK with that.”
The situation has been emotionally exhausting for Alaina’s family, here and in Brazil.
Alaina’s father, Stacy Arnold, is a firefighter with the Monroe Fire Department. He doesn’t speak Portuguese, and is having trouble communicating with doctors.
He is used to taking charge in emergencies, but he and his wife are struggling.
“I think he just feels beaten, like, ‘I’ve tried every avenue, and I have no way to get my baby girl home,’ ” Zelinsky said.
Family and friends in Monroe also are stressed.
“I never have felt so helpless,” Cynthia Arnold said.
Some of Stacy Arnold’s co-workers at the Monroe Fire Department are organizing a benefit for the family. Details on that are still coming together.
Family members in Monroe keep in close contact with the Alaina’s family. They bought calling cards so they could speak to Alaina’s parents daily.
When they’re not on the phone, they are left to pray and cry.
“At church yesterday, I just cried the whole time,” Zelinsky said. “Our pastor said a prayer for her. Everybody’s been praying for her.”
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