As planned, Lonjezo is heading into the OR today! Here you can see our ward nurse handing off Lonje's medical notes to the OR nurse. Communication is key between all the different parts of CURE Malawi! The surgeons are putting Lonje's forearm back in place as well as installing a metal rod to help prevent it from happening again. Please keep her in your prayers!

The plan has been made and Lonje is going to the OR tomorrow to take care of her forearm. In preparation, Lonje has been reading her children's Bible which the Spiritual team gave her!

Lonje hung out with the doctors today and got her x-ray! Unfortunately, they found that one of the bones in her forearm is dislocated. It's better than finding a broken bone, but still not great. Our doctors are now putting together a plan to get Lonje treated. In better news, her rods are still holding strong and doing what they're supposed to do so that's good!

Lonje is back here at CURE Malawi! She's been admitted since she's traveled such a long way. She's been scheduled for an x-ray tomorrow so the doctors can check up on how her bones are doing. With a disease like brittle bone disease, there's currently no cure, but Lonje needs continual management to keep her from having unnecessary breaks and pain, especially as she's growing so fast! Your prayers for Lonje will be greatly appreciated.

Lonje has gone home! She will be back in a month's time. While she is home, Lonje will continue to do light exercises to strengthen her legs. Please keep her in your prayers!

As anticipated, Lonje had a successful metal rods revision! She is back in ward, already sticking her tongue back out at us! Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

The doctors have made a plan for sweet Lonje! She is going to the operating room today. Please pray for successful procedure as the doctor will be reviewing the metal rods in her bones. Lonjezo was not so happy about going to the OR but after the Spiritual team and the nurses encouraged her, she responded positively. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. 

Lonjezo is back and already reconnecting with some of her old friends like Alisina! We missed her so very much and we are so excited that she is here again to ride the last rudder of her healing! The doctors will review her and make plans on what to do next. Please pray for a successful review!

Today, we read Lonjezo your messages, and she was so happy to read them! She says, "Thank you so much for your help and prayers!" Lonjezo will be discharged today, and hopefully will be going home tomorrow. She was super happy to receive a Christmas gift from the hospital before leaving, including African chitenge fabric, an umbrella, a container, and a water bottle. But, her favorite gift is the bag it came in because it has glitter on it! Lonjezo LOVES glitter and she has been rubbing the bag on her lips and hair to make her "extra pretty" with glitter all over her. We sure will miss Lonjezo! Please keep her in your prayers while she travels home for Christmas with her mom.

Lonjezo is here with that adorable smile we love so much! She's headed into the operating room for a rush rod exchange. Please keep her in your prayers today as she undergoes surgery!

Lonjezo has been discharged! The doctors checked her X-ray this morning and everything looks great. She is feeling much better today and is excited to go back home. We sure will miss her sweet smile, but we look forward to seeing her again for a review in April!

Lonjezo has been admitted and is on her way into surgery! Today, the surgeons will be revising Lonjezo's rush rods. Please keep her in your prayers during her operation today, and that she have a smooth recovery!

Lonjezo is back at the clinic earlier than expected. Her mom, Ivy, says this is because Lonjezo has had a lot of pain in her right leg. Even though she is in pain, Lonjezo’s face is glowing and she is always smiling. So brave! She is going to go for an X-ray to help the doctors to identify what is causing the pain. Please keep on praying for Lonjezo to get well soon and for the pain to go away!

Lonjezo came in the clinic today with her mom Ivy for a check up and she was all smiles. She is happy because she was given a wheelchair which has made it easier for her to get around, unlike the walking frame she was complaining about before since it made her uncomfortable.

“With the wheelchair it’s easy for me to go to school and back since my friends assist me. I passed my exams so my mom bought me biscuits! Our school will reopen soon and am excited since am going into a new class!“

Both Lonjezo and her mom asks for your continued prayers for her to get well soon!

Lonjezo is back for another checkup! Ivy says, "I came two weeks ago because she was in pain. One of the bones was broken so they casted and they've just removed it. Now they're going to check the x-ray to make sure everything is okay and then they'll tell me more." We went and looked at the doctors notes later - she's all good, just will come back in four weeks for another checkup!

Lonjezo wasn't here today but after talking to three different doctors we finally discovered that it was Dr. Saf who saw her. She had a fracture on her femur, so he set it with a backslab and now she's gone back home. Unfortunately despite the fact that the rush rods help keep the bones stronger than they would otherwise be, sometimes painful fractures still occur for kids with brittle bones! Please pray for her while she heals.

Please pray for Lonjezo! She came in late this afternoon, early for her appointment next week. Apparently her knee has been hurting a lot and she's been crying so her mom brought her in to see what is wrong. Because of her brittle bones it's possible she has a fracture so we're going to check the x-ray. We'll let you know on Monday what the outcome is!

"I'm leaving this thing, I'm not taking it," Lonjezo says in disgust about her walker. In a disappointing turn of events, the crutches we have are too big for her since she needs a special, very small size, so she needs to go home with the walker! She'll go home for three weeks but the physiotherapists are trying to get a special pair of crutches for when she returns, which she says will make her very happy. She's going home today since the physiotherapists are happy that she's walking better. "I'm excited to see my little brother Mikey when I get home. We play and go to school together," Lonjezo says. Please be praying for Lonjezo and Ivy as they travel later today!

Lonjezo is still in the hospital for physiotherapy and is very happy to be moving on to crutches today! Ivy says, "She's been telling the doctors, 'If you give me the walker, I will not come again. I'm tired of these things, I want crutches! I will steal the crutches if you don't give them to me.'"

Today Lonjezo and Ivy came in for a review and we managed to bring them get-well messages!

"Thank you for your messages. I am very grateful for what you are doing. Her pain is gone now and I believe it is because of your prayers," says Ivy, Lonjezo's mother, when we brought them messages.

"Before, I was not walking, but now I can use the walking frame. I feel like I can get rid of it now but my mom says to wait until the doctors say I can," Lonjezo says.

"I am now able to associate with my friends, the neighbors around me, better than before. Before my daughter had her operation, they were intimidating me, mocking, saying I have a child who doesn't walk. Now that Lonjezo is walking, they are ashamed of what they said."

Lonjezo is being readmitted for physio and we look forward to hanging out with her this week!

Lonjezo and Lufina are saying their goodbyes today! Lufina was making Lonjezo laugh so much this morning while they waited to see the doctors. Lonjezo has been discharged home and we'll see her in clinic on June 4th! Please pray for safe travels!

Lonjezo is recovering well and has been around the ward with her teddy, watching tv and playing with the other kids. She's been laughing a lot since she's in the bed next to another CUREkid, Lufina, who is always a riot! She'll be headed home soon but should be back in about six weeks!

Lonjezo had another operation yesterday! Dr. Lubega took out and replaced the rush rods in her right leg, since her left leg is still okay for now and it's just the ones in the right that are getting too small. Please be praying for her as she recovers in the ward!

Lonjezo has been up and out of bed today! There's a bunch of little girls in the ward and she was having a grand time in the playroom drawing with them. Funny from the Spiritual Team is making sure the kids get lots of time to enjoy themselves with playtime!

Lonjezo is back for another operation! As we said before, she's outgrown the rush-rods in her legs and they will need to be replaced with longer ones. Please be praying for her as she goes in for surgery later this week!

Lonjezo came in for some physiotherapy today! She was complaining of pain in one of her legs so the therapists sent her back to the doctors. Upon reviewing her x-rays they decided she needs a rushrod revision in that leg and will be readmitted on April 15th. Unfortunately kids with brittle bone disease need constant replacement of rushrods as they outgrow them, until they reach maturity. Please be praying for her!

Our little friend with brittle bone disease, Lonjezo, is back! “CURE has treated us well, Lonjezo is now able to stand and walk a few steps which was impossible before we came here. She is now in Standard 1 at a local primary school in Thylo, in the past I used to carry her everywhere, but now I can just leave her home playing with her friends,” says Ivy, Lonjezo’s mother.

“It was difficult spending farming season in the hospital, but now that she is healed we will be just coming here for physiotherapy. I urge all parents who have kids with similar conditions, those who were born deformed, to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Take Lonjezo for example. My daughter is healed now, we used to have sleepless nights since she would cry all night because her legs were hurting her. Now I sleep peacefully and her legs don’t hurt anymore. Last, I thank CURE for treating my daughter. May they continue treating other kids and I thank God for healing her.”

Lonjezo is back! Physical therapist Patrick says she's doing well. Although she still needs a walker to move with, she can walk, as well as stand without support for a couple minutes. Because of her brittle bones she will probably always be a bit weak but she's improving! Also, she's started going to school in a wheelchair! We're so excited that she's managed to get back to her education!

Lonjezo has been discharged! Turns out she had a ton of rush rods replaced, in both femurs and one of her tibias. She can now walk on her left leg, just not the right because of the fracture. Since she has brittle bones, Kyle said if her one leg can't support her, they'll need to find a wheelchair for her. The physios are going to work it out later today to see if they need to give her one or not. Please be praying for her as she heads home and comes back July 3rd!

It's day one post op and Lonjezo isn't crying anymore, but she doesn't exactly look happy to be here either - she was in the physio department and we bet she wasn't looking forward to therapy!

Lonjezo had a successful surgery today! Dr. Karolina and Dr. Nicholas cut her bone to make it straight and then put a rush-rod through to stabilize the bone and keep it in place. Lonjezo is recovering now, but is in a lot of pain, so please be praying that the painkillers the nurses gave her will kick in and that she'll feel better soon.

Lonjezo is having her next operation tomorrow! Please be praying for her as she has yet another rushrod. It's tough for kids with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones), since they're always outgrowing the rush rods in their bones and needing new ones, it means lots of operations, but Lonjezo handles it all with such grace!

Lonjezo's being readmitted! We're not 100% sure why yet, but looking at her X-ray it looks like one of her femurs is fractured, so she'll be having another rush rod to straighten it out. Please be praying for her as she has an operation later on this week!

Lonjezo is back for a physio appointment! She needs a new shoe raise but unfortunately, her mom didn't bring the right shoe to get it, so she'll need to come back again soon for that. Diana, our physiotherapists, says she's doing well and is walking around a bit, but that she cried during physio. Please be praying for her!

We saw Lonjezo in clinic today for a follow-up appointment! Her mom says she's doing well and is getting steadily better! She's just getting some physiotherapy and a shoe raise for today. We don't know when she'll be back for her next rush rodding, but she should be set for a couple years before she outgrows the rods that are already in! In the meantime, we'll probably see her every couple of months for checkups and physiotherapy.

Lonjezo is back for another appointment! Because of her brittle bones, she has another fracture in her left leg, so Rehab Tech Patrick sent her for an xray and a checkup from the doctors. The xray looks like she's healing well, but she'll be back for another review January 16th. Please keep her in your prayers!

Lonjezo came in for a follow up appointment and some physiotherapy with the new rehab tech Diana! Lonjezo is doing well, she just had her cast off but can already stand and bend. Ndapile, a physiotherapist, was impressed by how strong she is! We'll see Lonjezo again on October 24th for another checkup!

Lonjezo gets to go home today! We caught a photo of her lying on the plaster room table while she got her cast completed before she left! We're going to miss her sweet smile! With this rod both of her legs should be straight and all set for walking, she won't need any more operations in the near future. She will eventually need to have longer rush rods put in her bones, but hopefully not for a couple years! She'll be in September 12th for a checkup here at CURE Malawi so we can see how she's doing!

Lonjezo looked like she was crying when we walked up to her today, but when she saw the camera she immediately grinned for a photo, so we're not sure if she's in pain from her operation or if her eyes are just watering since our translator is on vacation this week! Either way please be praying for her as she recovers! Dr. Lubega straightened her tibia yesterday, cutting a wedge out of the bone to make it straight and then using a rod and plate to hold it in place as well as strengthen it since her bones are brittle.

Lonjezo is waiting for a blood test to make sure she's all set for surgery before she goes in. It's taking a while so other kids have gone in before her. Please be praying she comes back with a high HB count and no malaria so she can go for her surgery later today. We'll (hopefully) post details and photos tomorrow of her operation!

This little cutie is going to have her operation tomorrow! Please be praying for Lonjezo as she goes to theater to have her femurs straightened! We're so excited for her to hopefully be able to stand in the near future!

We brought Lonjezo some get-well messages today while she was finishing up her lunch and her mom was in the bath. She said to tell you that, "I'm good!" She told Lawrence, "ask her [Avanell] to take a picture of me with my Nsima and send it to them." So here's a photo of Lawrence, Lonjezo, and Nsima for you! Nsima is a staple dish here, thick maize flour paste, which you eat with sauce and veggies.

Guess who's back! Lonjezo is here for another operation! Part of the issue with Osteogenesis Imperfecta or brittle bones is that it continues to come back - having brittle bones means a multitude of tiny (and sometimes large) fractures build up over time, bending the bones, especially the weight bearing leg bones. We can stabilize the bones with metal rush rods, but when the child outgrows them, they need to be replaced. The doctors are going to xray all of Lonjezo's leg bones to see which ones are causing the most trouble and need to be dealt with first, and afterwards they'll plan for another operation. Please be praying for her!

This cheeky little one is going home today! Woohoo! She's pretty excited. Thanks for all your prayers and support while she's been here, Lonjezo has loved receiving your messages and knowing that you're praying for her. We'll see her again in about 6 weeks or so, keep a lookout for another update then!

Laughs-with-Lonjezo are becoming part of our daily routine here at CURE Malawi! We love stopping beside her bed for a chuckle! It would seem that our visits make her as happy as she makes us, because she grabs us by the hands and won't let go when we try to say goodbye. For a little thing she's pretty strong!

Every time we show her the photo we just took of her, this is the face Lonjezo makes. We love her cheeky grin and sparkling eyes!

Happy Lonjezo won't let anything stop her smiling! She's doing so well after her surgery yesterday! Most of the day has been spent in bed, but she's got a prime position in the ward - right in the middle beside the corridor everyone walks through. So she's got plenty of people around to keep her company! Please keep praying for her!

Before her surgery this morning Lonjezo was sitting on the operating table smiling up an absolute storm. This kid is the happiest we've ever seen anyone who was about to be operated on! In theater, our surgeons removed two wedges from her thigh bone. This straightened Lonjezo's leg, which will hopefully mean that in the future she'll be able to stand on it! She's recovering now, so please pray for her. We'll update you tomorrow and let you know how she's feeling!

Lonjezo's been missing her two older brothers - back at home they are her favorite playmates! Luckily she's still bright and cheerful, and had many a cheeky grin for us today. She's been scheduled to have surgery tomorrow, so please pray for her and the surgeons as they prepare.

Here's Lonjezo with her pal Florida - we love their cute smiles, and we love seeing friendships develop over tough situations. We're pretty sure that there's many other places that these kids would rather be than in hospital, but they truly make the best of it, and the friends they make are a big part of that!

Lonjezo is the sweetest little thing! She's going to be here over the weekend and will hopefully receive surgery early next week. This little cutie has never walked, and is terrified to stand in case her legs don't hold her up. We're so glad she made it here, and we pray we'll be able to help her not only to stand, but to walk and run and jump!