Akua in Ghana
Torres and Vida were excited about the arrival of their unborn child. When a prophetess warned these parents that some “forces” didn’t want the mother to deliver the baby, they began to worry. The complications during delivery convinced Torres and Vida that the prophetess might be correct. When their little girl Akua was born with clubfoot, the predictions seemed too real.
They had never seen clubfoot before and how this birth defect twists the feet. Both asked their families if any other relative had been born with this condition. No one had ever seen it, but they agreed to help the parents with treatment. However, the family ran into financial problems, which further complicated things.
Torres, Akua’s father, began to believe all the misfortunes were due to a spell being cast on the baby. Even though they were attending the Hope Walks partner clinic for treatment, they decided to withdraw Akua from the program so traditional healers could perform rituals on the child. The Hope Walks parent advisor was persistent in returning the family to treatment. He called them to explain it was not a spell. Sometimes, the family would refuse to pick up the phone, but eventually, they decided to return.
Progress was slow for Akua, but gradually, Torres and Vida saw improvements in their daughter’s feet. They are now sorry for not believing in the process but glad they decided to continue.
Before
Casting