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He was laying there on the dirt. He had only a small shirt on, that was covered in dirt. He looked up at us as he was just laying helplessly on the ground, he tried to make eye contact but his eyes had trouble focusing on anything. His knees where so scraped and torn up, his skin was falling off his knee caps. His legs where the size of my arms. We tried to speak with him and get down on his level, and he jerked away in fear and started trembling in confusion. All of a sudden I see a stream of water and know right away it could only be one thing;pee. He cannot move so now he is just sitting in his own urine- helplessly just sitting there trembling in his own pee. All I could do was stand there, I could not move, I could not speak. I lost it. I looked around at my team mates and I could tell we were all thinking the same thing…how can this be happening?
 (Wangalo and his brother holding him)
The young boy who we met up in the mountains of Bulucheke,Uganda was a boy named Wangalo. If you talk with my team mates though we call him Jeffery. He is eight years old and has never walked a day in his life. He has never had a normal life. He was one day old when he caught Malaria and his temperature skyrocketed. His family not knowing what to do took him to see the Doctors near their home, who told them to just feed him certain foods. Jeffery would not eat though, not even from his mother. Because he was not treated properly soon enough after catching Malaria, it has caused him to be permanently brain dead. He cannot feed himself or walk. His brother who is 12 carries him everywhere. I have never met a sibling that was so selfless in my entire life. I carried Jeffery for five minutes and did not think I was going to make it, so imagine a 12 year old boy carrying him around, how hard that must be. But he does it because he loves his brother. My team knew right away that something had to happen, he needed to see proper doctors. So right away Ricki and I made the two hr drive in the mud and rain into town with Jeffery and his sister to have the doctors look at him. We arrived at the childrens hospital and it was a public holiday so the doctors where not in the office, my heart dropped. We had no other option but to make the two hr drive back to the mountains with him and return the next day when the doctors would be in. The next morning Jeffery and his father and brother arrived right on time anxious to go to we made the two hr drive back into town to see the doctors. After a long wait the doctor saw us, he informed us that if Jeffery had received care immediately after being diagnosed with Malaria he could have been treated. It was too late now, which Ricki and I had presumed, but we knew something more could be done to at least better his life in any way possible. The doctor referred us to another doctor who does physical therapy in hopes that maybe just maybe Jeffery could learn to at least walk on his own. Ricki and I’s hearts jump. We rushed off to the next doctor and he informed us that if we return in a few days that a doctor would be able to treat Jeffery and see what they could do. So, we got back in the car drove two hrs back home again in the mud and rain…to return in a couple of days. I just kept praying God please let there be something they can do, we have already had them drive back and forth so many times, let this last times have some answers for them…please God..please God. We arrived early in the morning with Jeffery, his father and his brother carrying him on his back. We sat there, for what seemed forever, I just kept praying God please please let them say they can help Jeffery. Finally the doctor called us back and he had brought in another doctor to check Jeffery’s situation. After sitting there and the doctors staring at Jeffery as he stood there with the help of his brother. The doctor said follow me… we can help him. We are going to take him to the room in my office to fit him and size him for braces for his legs. My mouth dropped open…they are going to be able to help him! We carried him over and they placed what looked like huge cast on both of his legs all the way up his waist, so they could size his legs for braces. The doctor informed us that the braces would be done in about a week and then once they had Jeffery fitted they could begin physical therapy sessions to begin the process of teaching Jeffery at the age of eight how to walk for the very first time in his life. No longer will his brother or his mother and father have to carry him around. No longer will Jeffery have to just sit and look up at life as it passes him by. No longer will Jeffery have to sit in his own pee because he cannot walk to take himself to the bathroom.  We had to leave Uganda before we could see Jeffery in his new braces and before we could see Jeffery walk on his own. I do know though without a doubt that Jeffery will be walking and that if I return to Bulucheke,Uganda that Jeffery and I could go on a walk together. I know that God is going to restore the strength back into his legs. I have faith and complete trust in that. God is a great restorer the great healer and I believe that with my entire heart. Jeffery will walk!
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