How John Said Goodbye to Clubfoot and Hello to Hope

There’s a common saying people share about parenting—it takes a village. Meaning it’s necessary to have help from other parents and people close by to ease the burden of caring for children.

But what if your village offered insults and accusations instead of a helping hand because your child has a disability? That was Agness’s experience as she struggled to raise a young son and daughter in northern Zambia.

“In the village, people laugh at me, saying, ‘You have neglected the child,’” Agness shared. “Others even mock me, saying that it is because you are poor with no means, otherwise you would have taken the child to a specialized hospital.”

When her son, John, was a toddler, she noticed that both his feet angled inward instead of pointing straight. She took him to a local hospital, where she learned he had bilateral clubfoot.

Unfortunately, the hospital’s expatriate doctor trained to do clubfoot surgery had left the country. Because most healthcare in Zambia is under-resourced and difficult to access, Agness was left with no adequate options. So she returned home with little hope of getting John the help he needed.

Without surgery, he would face a lifetime of struggles because of his impaired mobility and the social stigma. Clubfoot can also become very painful and cause arthritis. John already had trouble keeping up with friends his age.

The Struggle of Daily Life

Because of his clubfoot, John had trouble learning to walk and didn’t take his first steps until he was five years old. And when he did learn to walk, he had trouble balancing and would stumble. He also couldn’t wear shoes. All of this caused his peers to mock and ridicule him, leaving him sad and lonely.

“I felt very bad when I first saw John, but I prayed to God to seek comfort. And I believe God knows why it happened this way,” Agness said.

Still, John started preschool and held tight to his dream of being a farmer one day.

Then, when he was seven, Agness heard about Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia (CURE Zambia). Not only could the hospital provide the surgery John desperately needed to correct his clubfoot, but the surgery would not cost Agness anything, thanks to the faithful generosity of CURE’s supporters around the world. This was an unbelievable blessing for the unemployed single mother.

So, the family headed south to Lusaka, where CURE Zambia is located.

Life-Changing Surgery and Spiritual Support

“All I want is for him to get healed,” Agness shared upon their arrival at the hospital.

CURE Zambia’s highly skilled medical team assessed John and got him into surgery. Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Cyril Ilho Moyo first operated on John’s right foot. Then a month later, he surgically corrected John’s left foot.

Because clubfoot surgery affects the muscles, tendons, and blood vessels of the feet, John needed regular bandage changes and monitoring by the medical staff. The family lived several hours north of CURE Zambia, so John and Agness spent a couple of months at the hospital as he recovered.

John passed his days in the playroom socializing with friends he’d made in the ward, constructing bracelets during craft time, singing Christian songs, and even practicing his numbers and letters. At CURE, we’re committed to making our hospitals places where kids can play, learn, practice art therapy, and hear about the love of Jesus.

Agness and John were supported throughout their stay by the spiritual ministry team, who read Bible stories and shared the love of Jesus. Agness found the fellowship opportunities to be a great help as she healed from the trauma she experienced raising John alone. At CURE Zambia, the family experienced the support and compassion that had been lacking in their lives.

After life-changing surgery and physical therapy, John was able to do something for the first time in his life: wear shoes!

John walked into CURE Zambia with a heavy heart after years of struggling with clubfoot and walked out on two straight feet with restored confidence and hope, knowing he would live the rest of his life disability-free!

Thank you to our faithful friends and partners who make stories of transformation like John’s possible every day across our network of hospitals. You are changing lives!