I hope everyone gets a chance to talk with people like Wambua’s dad Raphael. It’s one of those experiences that leaves you refreshed, encouraged about all the possibilities that exist amidst even the most difficult circumstances. As we talked, Wambua just smiled shyly and giggled when I tried to ask him a question, so Raphael took over answering a lot of the questions I had regarding Wambua.

Raphael told me how appreciative he is of modern medicine and seemed well versed and knowledgeable on what his son was going through in terms of treatment. Other than being born with joined fingers, Wambua was also born with a left clubfoot and a weak, shriveled right stump instead of a leg. I could sense the worry Raphael has about Wambua’s future, knowing that disability is even more disabling here in Kenya. He was curious about wheelchairs and prosthetics, trying to figure out what the best option will be after his son’s stump gets cleanly amputated.

When he was admitted here in early February, it was to continue the process of releasing his joined fingers. It was his second surgery, and his excitement was infectious. Before treatment, he had constantly seen his hands as a hindrance to his education. “He started going to school after his first surgery,” Raphael told me, “but before that surgery, he could not even hold a pen, so we thought it was meaningless to even take him to school.” It’s been such a blessing to witness the freedom that each surgery ushers him towards, and I’m so excited that we get to continue to walk this road with him. We still have awhile to walk, but the destination makes the journey well worth it.

Note: Wambua came to CURE Kenya with multiple correctible conditions. Doctors decided to address his fused fingers first and his clubfoot condition and leg deformity next.