Chance of a life time...

In November Nathan & his mom travelled from Kenema to Freetown, in the hope that they would find help for Nathan. One look at Nathan and my heart melted; what a happy healthy baby. Despite his deformity he was full of smiles. And his mom, though very concerned, obviously loved him very much- it’s not everyday in Sierra Leone that you see a 10 month old weighing 10 kilograms! I hoped for the best and called the ship to ask if they could do his surgery, knowing this was probably Nathan’s only chance.

A little later I was able to tell Nathan and his mom that they're going to make a trip to Liberia in January 2006 for the operation! Nathan’s mom was happy and it was a relief for her to see before and after pictures of other children who underwent surgery, as she thought that her son was the only child in the world with this condition. Also when Nathan was born, her family told her that it was ‘an act of the devil’. It was great to tell her that her son had not been cursed, that she didn’t do anything wrong, and that there was help available for Nathan. Nathan & his mom left the clinic that day with a letter for the ship, a surgical appointment card and a thankful heart. I left the clinic knowing that another chid has been given the opportunity of a life time- an opportunity that will change his life.