Esther is handling the chemotherapy well. She appears to have no nausea so far and was smiling and playing with a young visitor late Friday. Naomi said that there seems to be some reduction of the tumor in her airway. Esther slept Thursday night without the rasping breath that usually accompanies sleep for her.

Because Esther’s father is deaf, and because she is naturally fairly shy, it is difficult to get her to express what she needs verbally. She communicates a lot by facial expressions and by signing. She speaks Kiswahili, the official language (along with English) of Kenya. According to Josphat, because of Esther’s father’s deafness she never learned to speak the indigenous “mother tongue” spoken in her local area.

In order to get her more acclimated to being in the U.S. and to express to her medical team what she needs better, Naomi is coaching her gently toward speaking some English.

In an effort to urge her on in this vein on Friday,  her playmate and their parent gave their best shot at saying their own names in Kiswahili, “Jina langu ni… “

A broad smile crossed Esther’s face. With coaching, in little more than a whisper, she said, “My name is Esther.”