It’s amazing how far modern medicine and technology have allowed us to go in  correcting physical disabilities. Children who once couldn’t walk are now found playing football in their school, skin disorders that kept children isolated are cured giving the joy of community and friendship, scar tissue from burns are healed relieving years of pain. Surgery is painful and scary but it has the ability to change a life.

Zest4Kidz is so grateful for the teams of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and surgeons who partner with us to change lives. Here are a few of those stories:

Isabel

Zest4Kidz has been working with Isabel since April 2011. At 4 years Isabel suffered from a bone infection which fused her left hip and shortened her left leg. When we met her she limped and walked with the aid of a walking stick. Her left leg was weak and could not bear much weight. She ran, squatted, walked and stood all with a lot of pain and difficulty.

“I walk to school every day. It’s very far from home and my legs are always paining” narrated Isabel. Despite her condition she walked 1Km to and from school. She lives with her grandmother because both of her parents abandoned her when she became disabled. Isabel had her first surgery in the summer of 2011 and recovered well.

Isabel received her second surgery this month and is moving closer to being fully functioning again. Thank you for helping us help Isabel and other children like her.

Susan

Susan is just one month old and was born with club foot. She was underweight because her mother was not feeding well during pregnancy and even after birth she could not breast feed Susan because she lacked the nutrition to provide breast milk. When Susan first arrived at CoRSU she was immediately put under a nutrition program due to her being underweight and began weekly plastering to correct her bones. Within one month we saw radical change in this little life as she put on weight and found new strength. In January she received an additional two new surgeries on her knees and the doctors are very optimistic about her full recovery.

Thank you for helping us help Susan and other children like her.

At the end of the day, kids like these are the reason we keep pushing forward. To do nothing is not an option.

Matt Kingsley
Operations Manager
“Fight Injustice: Love as Family: Empower Children”