Four Faces

My time serving at Bykota House in Cambodia wasn’t just babysitting. I mean that was the bulk of it, but for three hours every morning I had the opportunity to do something different. When we had our briefing, they asked for two people to work with four special needs kids every morning. I don’t why I volunteered. I’ve never worked with special needs before in my life. Yeah… I have no idea how to do physical therapy for children with cerebral palsy. Yet I raised that hand. Kimberley also was going to help every morning. Our duties, as far as we understood, was to feed them, play with them, stretch and work their muscles, and give them some love. Pretty straight forward yet daunting nonetheless. It took a couple days for us to feel confident, and even less time to fall in love with those kids.

Nina, the oldest, was also the least mobile. She has cerebral palsy and limited muscle movement. But she has the most incredible smile. Confined to just laying on the floor, my time with her was simply spent sitting and talking. I could she was very aware and even understood some English. She has a truly delightful spirit and simply lit up the room around her.

Grace, our little diva. And oh boy was she a diva. But she was also the life of the party. Her favorite thing was having you clear her manga doodle. Or dancing to hip hop. Or throwing balls back and forth. The simple things would make her do a crazy laugh where she kind of looked like a pirate. She also has cerebral palsy.

Lita, the newest member, and also the smallest, she too has cerebral palsy. Even though she’s almost six she was the size of a toddler. We’d work her muscles and get her standing (with help). She was usually just content to hang out on the floor next to you. She’d roll around if she wanted to get anywhere.

And last but certainly not least is Sammy. Sammy is definitely special. He is autistic but at the same time loves loves loves physical touch. He’s super tactile which also means he’s a scratcher. He drew my blood more than once. Most people were frightened of him. He can be intimidating when he runs and grabs you for a hug. Somehow he and I got on really well. Maybe because I’m patient with him or he just really liked me, can’t be sure. If you ask other people on my team they’ll tell you that Sammy loved me. And that he would light up when he saw me. I never was witnessed it, but I don’t doubt them. I’d just sit by him on the swing set while I held his hand and he was happy as a clam.

These mornings were not always easy. Sometimes there was crying or scratching. I even got peed on. But it was definitely worth it, giving these children attention and love.

I’ve put the pictures in order so you can know who’s who.