Bezuayehu now walks without pain and with a purpose
Bezuayehu is an energetic young boy! When he meets people for the first time, he is shy, but it doesn’t take him long to reveal his playful side. Before coming to CURE, things were hard for Bezuayehu, kids made fun of his condition and called him names. He was sad all the time.
Bezuayehu was born with a condition known as bilateral clubfoot, which means both of his feet bend inward making it hard for him to walk. He also has a dislocated hip, the hip joint is not in the right position, which causes a difference between the lengths of his legs and a limp when he walks. He has a problem with his hands too, which made holding things harder for him.
Bezuayehu is the firstborn child for his parents and has a younger sister and brother that help him. “My younger brother always carries my books to school for me,” Bezuayehu told us. Because of his condition, walking had been difficult and painful, and the only comfortable shoes he could find were sandals. And, all that was about to change.
A stranger in Bezuayehu’s village saw his condition and told the family about an organization named Cheshire that could help. Cheshire brought Bezuayehu to CURE Ethiopia for treatment. While at CURE, he had surgery on his feet to straighten them, and it was a success! Now, he walks with the help of an Ankle Foot Orthosis brace to keep his feet in the corrected position. He also has a shoe raise on the left foot to help with the length difference between his legs.
During Bezuayehu’s stay in the hospital, he made a lot of friends. “He is so happy now. I remember him when he first got to the ward. He was so shy, trying to hide and not talking to anybody. But through time, he started playing with the other children and became so friendly with all the staff,” counselor Chaltu told us. He also had a chance to spend time with our spiritual team reading bible stories and learning about God.
“I didn’t expect this – walking without pain is amazing! Now I want to go back home, be with my family, and return to school,” Bezuayehu told us. We are so happy for Bezuayehu, his new mobility, and his bright future!
Original story written by Bethelehem Teshome from Cure.org.
