Hope Notes
2024, vol. 1
A common thread
Each story in this issue of Hope Notes is unique, yet there is a common thread. Hope.
I’m always amazed at the resiliency of our families, especially the moms who make great personal sacrifices to see their children grow up free of disability. I’m humbled when I think about their experience in the clubfoot journey compared to what we might experience in the Western world. Would we be as strong?
Shame and stigma play a negative role in their stories. Often, families hide their children because of the shame they feel, believing their child’s condition is their fault. Sadly, many never find treatment because of the dishonor they feel.
As you will read throughout this issue, Sofia lost her husband before her daughter was born with clubfoot. Ellen was asked why she didn’t abort her child. And neighbors resented Jane and Tinkoi for finding treatment for their son Duncan. None of this is from God.
But these families have hope. Hope that there is a treatment and that God loves His children. This same God takes moments of shame and turns them around for his glorious purposes. We see it every day at Hope Walks.
It brings me great joy to share this same hope with you because of your love and support of these children.
in Ethiopia
Scott Reichenbach President and Co-Founder
Sofia and her husband Abdurehim were overjoyed when they learned she was expecting a child. What a joyous time in their lives! But before she gave birth, her husband died in a car accident. At least she could cling to some hope in the anticipation of the birth of her child. Then, when Rehamat was born with her little foot twisted by clubfoot, it felt like salt in the wound.
“When I lost my spouse, I also lost all of my independence, self-assurance and dreams,” Sofia said. “Adding to that, having a baby with clubfoot was just another nightmare.”
She now was left to rely on her family, who viewed these unfortunate tragedies as the wrath of God. Sofia wasted time following her family’s suggestions to use traditional healers. The treatments, of course, did nothing.
“Finding healing for both my daughter and myself was like scaling a mountain,” she said.
But through all this, she felt God’s mercy and unwavering love guiding her to a Hope Walks partner clinic. She heard about it through a neighbor who visited a hospital and saw a poster discussing this treatable condition.
“I now have hope and a daughter free from clubfoot and its burden with a bright future ahead!” Sophia said.
stamping out the fires
Theresa in Ghana
The Bible tells us the tongue is a fire that, with one spark, can set a great forest on fire (James 3:5-6). A student nurse’s harsh words to Ellen after her daughter Theresa was born with clubfoot also was a dangerous spark. Ellen knew before Theresa’s birth that she had clubfoot, and the student nurse asked her why she didn’t abort her child, knowing she would be born with a birth defect.
The words sunk deep in Ellen’s heart and perhaps gave her greater resolve to ensure this student nurse’s words, which caused a great fire in her soul, would be snuffed out through the healing process.
A wiser and much more seasoned medical professional who was part of Theresa’s delivery referred Ellen and her daughter to a Hope Walks partner clinic. Unlike the student nurse, he provided words of encouragement that healed.
Ellen and her husband Stephen were very dedicated to following all
the proper treatment protocols as recommended by their parent advisor. This was sometimes difficult because Theresa would cry for three days after receiving each new cast. But by the third cast, Ellen started seeing improvement in Theresa’s feet. This was the first time Ellen realized her daughter would be able to walk like other children.
Strengthened by knowledgeable medical professionals, the parent advisor and seeing her daughter’s feet improve, Ellen now advocates for other moms who feel lost and alone. She is actively stamping out the words that cause harmful sparks in the hearts of others.
Getting the right information
Amaliel in the Dominican Republic
Amaliel was born on December 15, 2019, and is nearing the end of his treatment time. After he was born, the hospital gave the family bad information about his condition, but they eventually were referred to Dario Contreras Hospital, where Hope Walks has a partner clinic and healing could begin.
At the Hope Walks clinic, “they talked to us and told us that there was hope for our child, which filled our hearts with joy,” Ana, the mom, said.
Ana had a second child, Eleazar, who was also born with clubfoot, but knowing that healing was possible thanks to generous donor support, the treatment process was much less stressful for the family.
