Dagnachew's surgery is done! Dr Tim and the OR staff did a procedure called a TATT which basically just means they rearranged some of the tendons in Dagnachew's feet so the tendons will now pull his feet in the correct position. As far as surgeries go, it wasn't a very invasive surgery and now Dagnachew has the weekend to recover from it!

Dagnachew is back! Still with his orange mask and still making faces under it even though they're hard to see under the mask. While we're pumped to see him again, it's a little bittersweet because the doctors say Dagnachew needs another small surgery. It's a very minor one compared to what he's been through before (no frames this time) though. Please be praying for this little guy as he gets ready for another round and thank the Lord with us for his strength.

Check out Dagnachew's new casts! His frames are gone and Dagnachew is pumped about it! Now that he's in casts, the doctors have given Dagnachew the all clear to go home for a bit. But since Dagnachew lives a long way away from CURE Ethiopia, he's going to be staying with one of our partner organizations who help us lodge patients. He'll be back in a few weeks for a small follow up procedure and we already can't wait to have him back!

We found Dagnachew in the OR waiting area lost in his own thoughts. He has been talking about his frame removal for the past couple of days and it is finally happening today! Both of his frames did their job well straightening his feet and now it is time to remove them! Please be praying for him as he heads in for this quick procedure.

Dagnachew was trying a few different poses for the camera and settled on this one where he's pretending to be asleep in his wheelchair. This young man is coming to the end of his time with the frames on and the doctors say they should be able to come off soon!

Temesgen from our counseling department taught Dagnachew a new way to make art today! They "borrowed" one of the kitchen trays and put some paint on a piece of paper in the middle of the tray. They then rolled some marbles around on it to make weird and wonderfully colorful patterns! trick to make a beautiful painting, from our counselor Temesgen and did a wonderful job! He is doing well and continuing his healing! Please keep on praying for this young boy!

Today we found out Dagnachew is coming up on the finish line of his frame turns! Bayu says there are only a few days worth of turns left. After this Dagnachew should be able to get his frames off! It's an exciting prospect for all of us so please join us in praying that nothing complicates the process here on the home stretch! We found Dagnachew during his frame turning and he is doing great! He learned some thing today, that he is almost done with his frame turning, which means the metal work he has on is doing it's job well. Please keep on praying for this young boy!

Dagnachew is now at the point where the doctors and medical staff inspecting and adjusting his frame is no big deal. He used to be a little freaked out, but now it's just the way things are. Please be praying that his progress continues as planned and he'll be able to have these frames off soon!

“I love you and thank you” says Dagnachew after hearing all the get-well messages from you all. One of our counselors Tewodros read the messages to him and Dagnachew was enthralled. He was so happy to hear from everyone. Thank you all for your support and prayers!

After having a few days to heal up, Dagnachew is feeling so much better! It also helps having a top notch team of nurses and doctors looking after you. This man is back to his playful self and is passing the days coloring and doing his best to get his hands on one of the communal wheelchairs so he can move around and cause some trouble!

Dagnachew is in a little pain from yesterday's adjustment, but thankfully he has his nurse Africa (the name of his nurse) checking on him and taking good care of him. Please keep this young man in your prayers for a speedy recovery!

Dagnachew is heading back to the OR to have his frame adjusted. He's understandably nervous, but our spiritual staff visited him this morning and helped both reassure him and take his mind off things for a little bit!

After his daily frame turning and cleaning, Dagnachew had a good old hair washing. Even though big things are happening with his healing, normal daily life stuff still has to happen too!

It's just another day of laying in bed, frame turns, healing, and cracking jokes with his friends. When you've had clubfoot for as long as Dagnachew has and you're finally getting it treated, this isn't too much of a hardship!

"I want a photo with my frame" Dagnachew demanded (in the sweetest way possible) as we walked by his bed today. He told us, he is getting used to all the frame turning and cleaning which happens everyday. Keep on praying for this young man!

Since Dagnachew had his surgery three weeks ago, it's been a lot of hanging out in bed and resting as his body works on healing itself. We're continually impressed by his high spirits and amazing attitude towards the whole process despite the length. After living a life defined by his disabled feet, it's no wonder he's up to put in the work in order to find healing!

Nurses Hirut and Selamawit checked on Dagnachew this morning just going over his chart a vitals. No surprise, he's doing fine. We're blessed to have high quality nurses who not only know what they're doing, but are also super compassionate and empathetic with our patients!

Today, during Dagnahew's frame adjustment, we wanted to get a good shot of the frame so you can see just how complicated the process is. He's got pins going into each toe, multiple places in his foot, and up his shin. Each pin one is intentionally placed to gradually move his foot into the proper, straight orientation. We're incredibly blessed to have doctors skilled enough to install a device like this and technicians experienced enough to use it to correct Dagnachew's feet!

Our nurses are keeping a close eye on Dagnachew as he heals up. Thankfully he's doing really well so they don't have too much to worry about!

Dagnachew had another frame adjustment today given to him by Bayutsegaye. Dagnachew is more intrigued by the process than he is in pain or anything else. Each adjustment straightens Dagnachew's feet just a little bit more which gets us really excited!

Dagnachew is doing well in the ward. He's going through regular frame adjustments which are slowly straightening his feet. It's not the most fun thing in the world, but he's surrounded by three of his friends who were all brought here by the same organization, so at least he's in good company and keeping entertained!

After having the weekend to heal up, Dagnachew is feeling pretty great! The cages will take a little getting used to, but they'll slowly straighten his feet out for good. Dagnachew's spirits are high right now, but please join us in praying strength, both physical and emotional, over this young man!

This young man has had his surgery! While this is great news, it is also just the start for Dagnachew,. In the surgery, he had two circular cages installed around his feet. The cages have pins which are anchored into the bones in his feet. The tension of these pins will slowly be adjusted over the next several weeks and they will gradually straighten his feet! It's not the fastest process, but it will get the best results since his feet didn't respond to the casting process. Please be praying for this young man as, both mentally and physically, the next few weeks won't be the most fun.

Dagnachew is back and getting ready for his next surgery! Basically, what went down in his last surgery is he had something called a "soft tissue release" where the doctors released all the tight tissues and tendons pulling his feet into the clubbed position. Unfortunately, Dagnachew's feet didn't respond to the casting and small surgery combination as we had hoped. As such, we're going to have to do a slightly more complicated treatment process.

Dagnachew came back for another check-up today! He is doing well, but will unfortunately need another operation to achieve full correction in his feet. We will see him again in a couple of weeks when he returns for admission! Please keep him in your prayers until he makes it back to us!

Degnachew came back for his check-up today and he is doing great! He will still need a couple of cast changes before he is done, but we're all in this together to get him the best healing possible! He will come back in mid February for another check-up and we will see his progress then!

Dagnachew has been discharged and is heading to Cheshire Homes, an organization that helps us lodge long term patients who live far away, and will continue his recovery from there. We will see him again in a couple of weeks when he returns for his check-up. Please keep on praying for a speedy recovery and safe return back to us here at CURE Ethiopia!

Here is a look into Dagnachew's surgery. The doctors did a wonderful job straightening his feet and everything went well! He is recovering in the ward. Keep on praying for this young boy!

Meet Dagnachew! He is a playful young boy, and today, he is having a clubfoot corrective surgery on both feet. Please keep this boy in your prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!