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July 2001
Dear Friends,
RUTH
Ruth and the orthopaedic rehabilitation program at Kikuyu go
back eight years. At that time, she was a student at the Salvation
Army’s Joytown Special School for the Disabled, beginning
junior high school studies. As is the sad case of thousands of
children born in Kenya, Ruth had congenital deformities, which
were to leave her disadvantaged. She was from a home that was
already pressed to the limit for basic needs.
The third of eight children in a family that lives on a one acre
piece of tea-raising land, Ruth was preceded by two older sisters
who had dropped out of high school and live the hard life of jobless
single mothers. Born in 1980 with severe deformities of hands
and legs, she began walking on her knees at the age of four. At
the age of twelve she was to develop infection of the bursae overlying
her knees that required six months of treatment in a local provincial
hospital.
Ruth was enrolled by her parents in Joytown nursery school and
progressed through primary school before she was referred to the
Presbyterian Kikuyu Hospital for evaluation and treatment. Her
surprisingly agile hands were found to have misshapen fingers
and no thumbs. Amputation of a digit that was useless and especially
disfiguring was the only hand surgery indicated. The legs were
very shortened and angulated, with ankles and feet that had failed
to develop. Ruth was glad to be rid of her useless legs with amputation
and corrective procedures for angulated remaining stumps below
the knees. Artificial legs were fitted by our prosthetic department
a year or so after surgery. Now she could walk, could look you
in the eyes and smile.
After graduation from Joytown High School two years ago, Ruth
applied to an industrial course for further training to make her
job-eligible in a largely unemployed society. Able to scrape up
nearly the equivalent of 100 dollars, she enrolled in the cheapest
course, which was elementary computer training. Unable to find
the cash for exam fees and certification and crying out to God
in her boredom, she contacted the Children’s Medical Ministries
in the U.S., which asked the Kikuyu Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
Centre (KORC) to interview and evaluate Ruth for assistance. And
so, last April our nursing supervisor, Margaret, and I found standing
before us an attractive, modest, neatly dressed 21-year-old lady.
Drawn by her attractive appearance and poise, it was a while before
we realized that we were dealing with our former patient with
prosthetic legs and grotesquely deformed hands. Her initially
fitted legs, now worn out and no longer fitting the matured stumps
of lower legs, were developing painful sores.
With financial help from Children’s Medical Ministries,
Ruth has received a new set of artificial lower limbs and is studying
at the Health Records School at the Kenya Medical Training College
in Nairobi.
Ruth is a fine example of a very handicapped 21-year-old Christian
believer making her way in an economically stressed society. In
retrospect, we find her an example of many handicapped children
who have entered a better life than their normal siblings. Her
life illustrates the kind of rescue and rehabilitation that can
only be achieved through the networking of various organizations.
In this case it was the Salvation Army school, which brings faith
and education to over 500 children. It was the Orthopaedic Centre,
which carries out corrective surgery and rehabilitation of hundreds
of children and young people in a Christian setting. It was the
Children’s Medical Ministries, which typifies many caring
groups and individuals that fund our program. Of course, it is
the individual’s resolve and perseverance that is the essential
ingredient. What an inspiration these young people are to us!
What a privilege to be a part of the process. Pray for Ruth and
for the ministries that God has raised up to bring abundant life
for mankind and glory to Himself.
Stan Topple
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 38
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