How Emmanuel Fought to Keep His Leg—and Won

Thirteen-year-old Emmanuel was used to the drill. Another trip to the local hospital, another shoe to try for a while, another painful realization that it wasn’t enough to help him. He’d been repeating this routine for years. 

Emmanuel was born with his right leg significantly shorter than his left and bent at the ankle. Doctors were able to put a Band-Aid on the problem by making him a special shoe with a thicker sole to even out the length of his two legs. But as Emmanuel got older, the difference in length between his legs grew, along with the size of his shoe.

He was tired—and in worsening pain. He wasn’t living the life he wanted. “When it came to sports, I was always the last person to get picked to be on a team. And I would face a lot of challenges because of my leg. I didn’t like how most people perceived me and made fun of me. It made me feel bad,” Emmanuel remembers.

Then one day the doctors informed him it was unsafe to continue increasing the thickness of his shoe and offered only one drastic alternative: amputation.

A Big Decision and God’s Intervention

“I refused to accept amputation as a solution,” Emmanuel shares. “I was ready to live with my right leg as it was because cutting it off was not an option.”

His parents supported his decision. “When they told us the only option was for his leg to be amputated, we refused to believe them,” Alick, his dad, says.

The family knew life with this condition would not be easy for Emmanuel, especially with the crippling back pain he was experiencing. Just when hopelessness was threatening to take over, someone at the hospital where he had been receiving treatment referred the family to Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia (CURE Zambia). 

“From the moment we met the security guards at the gate to the time we saw Dr. Lastroni, the love and care we were shown was so comforting,” Alick shares. “We immediately felt at home. The icing on the cake was CURE’s love for God. We knew God was truly with us and Emmanuel’s healing had begun.” 

After thoroughly examining Emmanuel’s legs, Dr. Giorgio Lastroni, CURE Zambia’s Orthopedic Surgeon and Medical Director at the time, prescribed a procedure called leg lengthening with an external fixator. It involved surgically attaching an external fixator to Emmanuel’s leg, which would be adjusted every day, forcing his leg to grow. 

Alick agreed to the proposed treatment to save Emmanuel’s leg from amputation. A short time later, Emmanuel had his first surgery to help bring the discrepancy between his two legs to within a normal range.

Braving the Odds to Serve God

After his first surgery, Emmanuel faced a long road to recovery. He found great support and motivation by joining Boys’ Brigade, a training ministry for boys, where they are taught how to think and live like Christ. 

When Emmanuel first asked his parents if he could join Boys’ Brigade, they were hesitant and worried. To their surprise, the group played an essential role in his healing; it was therapeutic for him. 

And all Emmanuel could dream about was the day he would be able to march and play the trumpet with his bandmates—something he was unable to do before he started treatment. 

“My son has always been brave and passionate about God, and it is through his faith that we were able to come this far. The one thing that brought him comfort throughout his treatment was going to Boys’ Brigade to practice with his bandmates,” Alick says. 

Though the four years of treatment were long and hard, he stayed strong and kept his faith. During the last two years of treatment, Dr. Lastroni continued to conduct a series of surgeries on Emmanuel’s leg, helping it grow.

 “The leg is growing. I can see it. There is a difference!” Emmanuel happily shared during one of his follow-up appointments. 

Marching Confidently—and Pain-Free—into the Future

Today, Emmanuel’s once-bent and shorter leg has caught up with its counterpart. Thanks to his unshakable faith and the dedicated, compassionate care he received at CURE Zambia, he is walking, playing, and going to school. 

And best of all? His dream of marching with the Boys’ Brigade has become a reality! 

“He has gained more confidence! Every time I see my son walk, he brings me hope and joy. Beit CURE is a blessing to me and my family, and may God continue blessing the hospital,” Alick says.

After surgery at CURE, Emmanuel can march and play the trumpet with his bandmates.

When he is done with school, Emmanuel hopes to become a physical therapist so he can help people facing mobility challenges. 

Emmanuel is not only living his dream but also making a difference among his peers both by being an example of perseverance and through his small bracelet business. He makes customized bracelets (like the one on his wrist in the picture below) and sells them. None of this would be possible without the support of CURE’s generous friends, partners, and donors!  

“If I had a chance to meet the people who sponsored my treatment, I would give them a big hug. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of CURE,” Emmanuel shares. “It has helped build my faith in God and touched my life in an unexplainable way.”

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