Elidah’s heart broke as she watched her son Lemmy withdraw and cry because of his disability. “I slowly watched him fall into a depression. He was always sad,” she recounts.
Lemmy, the second youngest of Elidah’s four children, was healthy growing up in Zambia, where he ran around with his brother and sisters and played soccer with friends. Then, when he was 12, he noticed his body change.
“I could tell I was losing balance as I walked,” he remembers. “I started to experience pain in my legs, which further affected my balance.”
Soon Lemmy noticed his knees curving inward. He had a condition called knock knees, which forced his knees to rub together. Because no hospital was equipped to provide the surgical care he needed, Lemmy thought he would spend the rest of his life with the condition. And the pain in his legs only worsened.
Hope amid Isolation
Lemmy, a faithful Christian and active churchgoer, could no longer attend services because walking was too painful and difficult. Soon he also stopped going to school and socializing with peers.
As is common for those with disabilities in his community, he was mocked and stigmatized, driving him into a deep depression—until he found CURE.
Lemmy made it to church camp, where someone shared that CURE Zambia had helped their child with a similar condition and was holding a mobile clinic nearby. Elidah and Lemmy visited the clinic, where CURE’s highly skilled medical staff assured him they could fix his knees. Then, they booked him for surgery.
For the first time in years, Lemmy had hope. “I remember struggling to walk to church camp. Little did I know, I would find my answer there.”
A Bright Future
At CURE Zambia, Lemmy was warmly cared for by the hospital’s compassionate staff. “I love the people here,” he says. “They’re so welcoming!” First, Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Cyril Ilho Moyo surgically corrected Lemmy’s right leg.
Then, three months later, he operated on his left leg. Both surgeries were provided at no cost to Lemmy’s family, thanks to the support of CURE’s generous supporters around the world.
While recovering at CURE, Lemmy made friends in the playroom and learned about God’s faithfulness and love, thanks to Bible studies and the spiritual ministry team’s support.
CURE Zambia’s Child Mentor, Lillian, encouraged him with stories of Jesus’s miracles when he expressed doubt about walking or playing soccer again. “I was overjoyed the day he testified about his healing journey to the other children in the playroom when he came for his last check-in,” she said.
To ensure his complete physical healing, he did intense physical therapy and practiced walking with the crutches CURE provided.
Today, Lemmy walks pain-free on straight legs! “My legs have healed. Praise God!” he exclaims.
Elidah loves seeing her son happy again. He can socialize and play soccer with friends again and is currently a referee for his community soccer team. He also consistently attends church, where he sings bass in the choir.
Lemmy dreams of becoming a truck driver and pursuing a career as a gospel music artist—dreams made possible by you!
Listen to Lemmy’s Song
Inspired by all that he experienced and learned about the love of Jesus at CURE, Lemmy wrote a song!
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