HEARTBREAK AND HOPE: TEEN TO RETURN TO HAITI AFTER MEDICAL TREATMENT
Solyvien Favra came to have surgery on his foot and now returns to Haiti to be reunited with his family in an earthquake-ravaged neighborhood.
(Roanoke Times) By Lerone Graham
Karen Croy comforts Solyvien Favra, 14, after he became emotional Thursday following an assembly of sixth-graders at Glenvar Middle School.
Andrea Abbott, a student at Glenvar Middle School, says goodbye to Solyvien, who will soon return to Haiti. He came to the United States for medical treatment.
School secretary Karen Croy finished work in the front office of Glenvar Middle School while her son, 13-year-old Cory Thompson and 14-year-old Solyvien Favra tussled nonstop.
"You guys settle down," she warned.
The roughhousing resumed a few minutes later -- even after an inadvertent blow put Solyvien, a Haitian boy who has been living with the family in Salem since July, out of commission for a few minutes.
The world of boys being boys and mom maintaining order that has played out in Croy's household since last summer changes April 9.
Solyvien, who came here for surgery on a foot mangled in a car crash that killed his mother, thought his father, brother and sister had been lost in the January earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.
They weren't. The Port-au-Prince neighborhood where Solyvien once lived was "pretty much annihilated" by the quake, Croy said. But his father and siblings have contacted an aid agency that passed word to Croy.
Solyvien is eager to return.
"Home is where the heart is, home is where your family is," Solyvien said in perfect English.
"I don't know what life is going to be like without him," Croy said.
Croy and her family have been hosting Solyvien through Roanoke County-based Angel Missions Haiti so he could get surgery on the foot, injured seven years ago. The broken foot healed upside down, leaving him walking on the top of his foot for seven years.
Doctors at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital operated twice, in September and in December, to straighten Solyvien's foot, paid for by hospital contracts with the Haitian government.
Croy said it took time for her, her son Cory and 17-year-old daughter Kalley Thompson to adjust to Solyvien's arrival in July. The family spoke no Creole. Solyvien spoke no English. Solyvien remembered lying awake his first night, afraid of the family dog and confused by the language.
"I thought they were not good," Solyvien said.
He and Cory quickly bonded over their love for soccer.
Even with his deformed foot, Solyvien "could run as fast as me," Cory said. "It was amazing."
Cory said he'll miss their video game and soccer sessions.
Solyvien enrolled at Glenvar Middle School and adapted to life in Salem. His new favorite restaurant is McDonald's. He amassed a large collection of CDs, DVDs and name-brand sneakers and soccer shoes.
Where Solyvien lived in Haiti, the average person earns 60 cents a day, and 70 percent of that went toward food. Clean tap water was nonexistent.
Croy showed Solyvien a picture of a wet tent the other day, a structure like the one sheltering his family since the earthquake. Solyvien's response showed his resolve and appreciation of life, Croy said.
"I'm wet, I'm not dead," the boy said.
He will reunite with his family when he returns. He's had no contact with his father, brother and sister since he's been in Salem. Television pictures of the destruction concerned him, he said. But he said he wasn't frightened, because he's used to seeing dead bodies on the roadside.
Solyvien will go back a little heavier, having packed 10 pounds onto his skinny frame since arriving, making him 79 pounds.
His classmates said goodbye with a going away party Thursday, Solyvien's last day of school.
Croy said she's been a host mother for Angels Missions Haiti for years and understands that once it's time for a guest to go home she may never hear from the person again.
She said she'll find a way to stay in touch with Solyvien and hopes to visit in a couple of years.
"He came to our home, now we're going to go to his," Croy said.
**** To see photos of Solyvien, host family and friends follow the link to:
www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/241957
**** Solyvien is a bit of a celebrity. Further articles and video can be seen at the following links:
http://ourvalley.org/haitian-boy-says-goodbye-to-glenvar
www.salemva.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=283:14-year-old-collects-water-for-his-country&catid=52:salem_times_register&Itemid=57
http://www2.wsls.com/sls/video/detail/38ef6f30-94b7-102d-a6fd-001ec92a4a0d/92159/
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