yakubu

Although I went to Nigeria to start a water filter project, I could not stay away from the wards for too long...
I had seen Yakubu sitting outside many days - his left leg wrapped in a huge piece of guaze, his face a picture of pain when he tried to move, stand or walk. But his shy smile and quiet nature intrigued me and i asked more about him.
He had been abandoned by his parents for reasons unknown to me, and was discovered by a good samaritan woman who brought him to the hospital when she saw the state of his leg. He was being cared for by an aunt who came after he was admitted.

His lower leg, tissue and bone, was completely ravaged by a horrific infection with no hope of healing. The only option was amputation, which was done when Dr. Verbrugge, an American doctor on the team, came to visit adoka for a day. We knew he could do well if he had access to rehabilitation and a prosethic leg, but considering he was abandoned, there were no financial resources to pay for such things.

Dr. Verbrugge told him that within one year he could have a new leg and be playing football (soccer) with friends. This didn't sink in for Yakubu until the next day when he motioned for me to come to his bedside. Through an interpreter he asked if it was really true that he could get a new "rubber" leg and be walking without crutches. When I affirmed this, the look on Yakubu's face was one of astonished enlightenment.

I had been trusted with funds from various sources to help pay for treatment for needy people, and Yakubu continued to tug at my heart. I knew that without financial help, Yakubu would be on crutches for the rest of his life, with no chance of running and playing like a 13 year old boy should.

I am happy to report that a fund was set up at a Rehabilitation hospital in Mkar for Yakubu to receive physiotherapy and treatment for two months, and he will receive a prosethetic leg once his therapy is completed. His aunt agreed to accompany him so that someone is caring for his daily needs while in hospital (in Nigeria, the family must provide all food, bathing and personal care). Yakubu will be in Mkar by Feb. 10 to start treatment!

Yakubu and his aunt were deeply humbled and greatly appreciative of this help and encouragement, and he promises to work hard in physiotherapy so that he may soon be running and playing.

The seemingly small gifts of several people in Canada have contributed to an enormous change in a young man's life. A boy abandoned by his own parents is being cared for by an "international family" who has never even had the pleasure of meeting him. Yakubu's life is renewed not only because he will be receiving a new leg, but because he has received a new heart and hope where he thought there was none.