Haitian boy on road to recovery with Danville family

By Brenda Neugent

Published: November 11, 2008

When Darlene Gunnell watches her sons play peek-a-boo with 2-year-old Chrisno Jeudi and all of their young faces light up with laughter, there’s no question she and her husband, William, did the right thing.

“He was giving me high fives earlier,” 12-year-old Drew said with a grin.

That’s big news, since 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 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.

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

He would join 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 said, “and I thought about what it would teach our children.”

To that end, everyone has totally fallen for the good-natured Haitian toddler, who has advanced considerably since his surgery, especially since physical therapy assistant Darlene works with him daily to help improve his skills.

“I think it’s like a family project, and we worked on it together,” Darlene said. “I’m impressed with how much the kids have helped. And you can tell they just love him.”

Although they initially worried about seizures or other problems that could come with Chrisno’s condition, “so far he’s been pretty cool,” Will said. “It was the adventure of doing something that would impact this young boy’s life (that) made me ignore the scary thoughts and continue on with the process.”

With the Gunnells, where piano and guitar lessons are as common as baseball games, Chrisno is surrounded by music and he is often serenaded by one of the boys.

This weekend, Will Gunnell, owner of Ratatat Sounds music studio in Ringgold, and his band Latter Rain, also featuring Daniel Irving and Brandon Rutledge, will reunite after 10 years to play a benefit for Chrisno and other children in Haiti.

The event, set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Full Gospel Fellowship Church on Luna Lake Road in Danville, will raise funds for Angel Missions Haiti. The money will go toward building a medical center in Haiti, where expanded health care would prevent separations from family for children like Chrisno, whose mother only learns about his condition through e-mail.

In addition to the Latter Rain reunion, which also will feature 12-year-old Drew Gunnell on acoustic guitar, a collection of authentic Haitian art will be on display and available for purchase. There also will be a presentation on Angel Missions Haiti and the work it does.

For more information, call (434) 822-8920.

• Contact Brenda Neugent at or (434) 791-7978.