Yeikol in the Dominican Republic
After Gleimy and Enmanuel gave birth to Yeikol, they noticed his feet were twisted. No one explained what this was or told them where to get treatment.
For months, both parents went to different places looking for treatment, but their options were scarce. They live in El Seybo, a town on the country’s eastern shore. Their clinical options were few because their town is three hours from the capital of Santo Domingo.
Gleimy decided to take advantage of Facebook, and she uploaded a picture of Yeikol, showing his feet. Someone who knew about clubfoot quickly got in touch with her and talked to her about a clubfoot clinic in Santo Domingo where they could find treatment. This happened to be a clinic supported by Hope Walks.
Four months had passed, but it wasn’t too late for Yeikol to start treatment. Gleimy and Enmanuel were very surprised when they realized how common clubfoot was, even though they knew nothing about it. They were educated and decided to follow instructions from doctors and Hope Walks parent advisors. This quickly translated into good results as Yeikol’s feet were becoming straight sooner than expected.
However, the global pandemic’s lockdown interrupted treatment because clinics were shut down. Yeikol eventually relapsed, and this was very challenging and disappointing for them. They were interested in resuming treatment and would keep in touch with Hope Walks parent advisors to know the clinic’s status and when to continue treatment.
The treatment finally resumed, and the process started all over again. The parents were persistent in getting Yeikol healed from clubfoot. Gleimy said it was vital for her to count on Hope Walks counseling because this provided hope to her along the way. She’s now delighted because Yeikol is satisfactorily wearing braces, and he’s gotten used to them pretty smoothly.
Even the most significant global pandemic in the last 100 years can’t stop parents like Gleimy and Emmanuel who are dedicated to finding healing for their children.
