Jayden in Kenya
It’s hard enough having a child born with a birth defect. It is even harder when your friends tell you there is nothing that can be done and even laugh at the situation. This is what Fred and Sharon experienced when Jayden was born with clubfoot in Kenya.
Despite the taunting they received, these parents powered through and sought treatment for Jayden’s feet at the Hope Walks partner clinic in Siaya. Their midwife who helped with the birth referred them to this clinic where she knew he could be healed. So excited were Fred and Sharon that they were at the clinic just three days after Jayden was born.
But Jayden’s skin reacted to the plaster casts. Paying for transportation also was difficult on their minimal income as day laborers. They started to believe their friends were right about their son and his chances of healing. They gave up.
All was not lost. One kind neighbor and the clinician who initially saw Jayden encouraged them to restart the treatment process after three months. With some help from the Hope Walks transportation grant, Fred and Sharon were able to get to the clinic with their son.
What a difference a year makes. Now, Jayden is through his casting and wearing braces only at night. The Hope Walks parent advisor counseled the couple through some marital issues and even got them connected with a local church. What once seemed like an impossible situation is now a beacon of hope not only for the family, but the community that once laughed at them.
“Jayden is now a normal child and I wish he will grow to be a doctor who can correct other children’s feet as he has been corrected,” Sharon said.
