healing changes everything
Last week, children from CURE Zambia showed their support for the national soccer team, Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets). The team went on to win the title game in the Africa Cup of Nations, defeating Ivory Coast, 8 - 7, this past Sunday.
The Banda family: Jonathan, David, and their proud father.
Brothers Jonathan and David sharing a laugh outside of Beit CURE Hospital in Zambia. The boys now have a new sense of joy and confidence after their surgery at CURE.
Blood runs deep. There is an unseen connection between brothers. Even though you may not have similar interests, you still have a strong bond. But what if you not only grew up with someone with that blood connection, but you also shared something no one else you know shared: the same disability. One that was obvious to anyone who saw you. One that made you want to stay in your house and not go out. One that your classmates made fun of you for. One that, in your father’s own words, made you “laughingstocks” of the entire town.
This was Jonathan and David’s daily life.
One of the great joys of my job is not just that I make a living telling stories (which by nature I’m hard-wired to do), but within those stories I get to see chapters that not everyone else does. Sometimes, those “bonus” chapters are so good I need to go back and rewrite the entire novel.
This is what I did with Jonathan and David.
I first became aware of these two boys when my media intern extraordinaire, Stiv Twigg, sent me some videotape of their story from his time in Zambia. I immediately set to work making a video about them; they had such joy and charisma, and the father seemed so thankful. Stiv shot some great footage of them in their home doing an interview and outside their home doing karate and other fun boy stuff. Read the rest of this entry »
Editor’s note: This story was submitted by Harold Haamumba, Spiritual Centre Director at CURE Zambia.
Being explorers is expected for children, especially those under twelve. They believe they can do what the other older people are doing without difficulty. This is what happened one afternoon as Emmanuel’s cousin tried to ride a bicycle with Emmanuel (5 years old) on a carrier. Their uncle came visiting from the next village, and he came on a bicycle. The two children saw that he had come with the bicycle and asked if they could ride it around the village. Their uncle reluctantly agreed. It was just hardly a week from the time Emmanuel’s cousin (10 years old) learned how to ride a bicycle. It looked normal, and no one saw the need to stop them from riding.
According to Emmanuel’s mother, Jennifer Machona, they did not even go a long way from the village. The people in the village just heard a bang and crying from the two boys who got the bicycle.
Emmanuel’s cousin had failed to control the bicycle. They were both injured, but Emmanuel’s injuries were more serious.
The people who were in the village rushed to rescue them. Blood was gushing from Emmanuel’s mouth, while his cousin had a fractured hand. They rushed them to Zimba Mission Hospital, about 5 km from their village, on two bicycles. They were both admitted. At the hospital, they were told that Emmanuel had badly hurt his vocal cords and his tongue was partly cut as well. They stayed in the hospital for close to a month before they were discharged. Emmanuel never fully recovered from the accident injuries, according to Jennifer, and life for their family was never the same again.
Emmanuel started losing his voice so often that they decided to send him to Beit CURE Hospital of Zambia (Zimba Mission Hospital now has a relationship with CURE Zambia, making referrals like this easier). It was now two years after the accident. Emmanuel was seen by the ENT surgeon, Dr. Uhta, who admitted him on February 1, 2011. Emmanuel had surgery two days later and was discharged after six days of recovery.
“I can only see God working in my son’s life,” said Jennifer prior to her son’s operation. According to Jennifer, life for her and her family was okay until three years ago when Emmanuel was involved in the accident. “We started having sleepless nights because Emmanuel would wake up at night like he was choking, and he could not sleep again.” This lack of sleep stressed them very much as a family.
Now, after her son’s operation, Jennifer is sleeping like a baby. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep. Jennifer is now going home looking happy and unstressed. She is grateful to God for all His works on her son. She cannot wait to meet with her family so that they can also see how Emmanuel has improved. As she goes home, we thank God for His mercies and the love He has shown, and we pray that all goes well in their lives.
If there’s one thing children worldwide have in common, its a love for playtime. Six year old, Monica Kamana is no exception; she loves to play and embarks on new adventures daily. There is no shortage of friends to play with since she lives in a high density area, referred to as a “slum,” in Lusaka’s Kalingalinga compound. Read the rest of this entry »
Like I have always said, some of the most amazing stories I’ve come across since coming to work here at CURE Zambia have been those coming from our dedicated staff. Chris and Geoffrey are no exception. Chris and Geoffrey have been working at CURE Zambia since May of this year, and their story is truly uplifting. Read the rest of this entry »
Henry was born four years ago in a very poor neighbourhood in central Lusaka called Garden. His birth went well and his development appeared to be progressing normally, until a few months later when Henry’s mother, Linah, noticed that her newborn’s right leg was beginning to bend outward. Linah immediately suspected that her son had rickets. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been some time since I’ve had the chance to give you all a story from our ENT department, so I’ve decided to tell you the story of Lukoba, a 6 year old girl from Lusaka. I sat down with her mother, Edith, who told me that last February, Lukoba had put cotton wool in her ears to clean them. She thought she had completely removed the cotton wool. Unfortunately, two weeks later, Lukoba started complaining of pain in her ears. She was also having trouble hearing out of her right ear. “I was really very worried, and I wasn’t sure what to do,” said Edith. Edith checked the inside her daughter’s ears and noticed something white in her right ear. Mother and daughter quickly headed to their local clinic, where nurses removed the remnants of the cotton wool and flushed out her right ear. Read the rest of this entry »
CURE Zambia is always thrilled to receive visitors from abroad, and the latest group of visitors was no exception. CURE Zambia hosted ten nursing students and three instructors from Wisconsin Lutheran College last week. The 3rd year nursing students came to Zambia to learn different perspectives on nursing in developing nations as part of their course work. Read the rest of this entry »
I must confess that I have a weakness for pleasant, lively, smiling children. Every time I see a child smile it melts my heart. Over the past couple of days, I spent time with two of the cutest little boys to come through CURE Zambia since I started working at the organization. Their names are Cosmas and Samson, and this is their story. Read the rest of this entry »
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