“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” ~ Ephesians 4:32
One of the busiest areas in our week-long medical clinic is Mobility. Our mobility team builds wheelchairs and walkers, distributes them, and if needed also provides Physical Therapy. During the week, Mobility will distribute 124 wheelchairs, 20 walkers, and 20 canes to patients from the local community. It’s a busy area of our clinic with constant activity and palpable energy.
Earlier this week Mobility saw many seniors who received much needed wheelchairs, but today we had some special children whose lives will be changed with the simple gift of wheelchairs that fit them properly. Three of the deserving kids were 11-year-old Alison, 10-year-old Fidel, and 5-year-old Pablo.
Alison was born with Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome (IESS) and has been making do with an ill-fitting wheelchair. After visiting our Mobility and Pediatric clinics, her mother was sent to Referrals. It is there that she was matched up with a provider of a specialty wheelchair which will give Alison the comfort she deserves. A new wheelchair will be life-changing not just for Alison, but for her mother too.
Fidel, who has outgrown his current wheelchair and needed one that is sized for an adult was brought to the clinic by his mother. While he was in the Mobility clinic, our volunteers were able to build and customize a larger wheelchair than his current one. I caught up with Fidel and his mother just as the final adjustments were being made for his new wheelchair, and the smiles from both spoke volumes.
Late in the afternoon I met Pablo and his mother. Pablito, who is tiny for his age, and contorted by a medical condition, was being evaluated by a team from Transiciones (Transitions), an organization that is advancing the rights, dignity and social inclusion of Guatemalans with disabilities by providing mobility equipment and opportunities for independent living. About 10 minutes after meeting Pablito, he was in his new wheelchair and final adjustments were being made, including custom pads that will alleviate any pressure on his tiny body.
In five years of volunteering with Faith in Practice I am more and more in awe of the synchronicity of all the providers and even outside organizations with whom we work. Compassion and kindness are on display every day of our Faith in Practice clinic.
Ruth Lacey
Team Blogger & Photographer
