Show-stopping... Heart-warming...

These are the words that best describe the life-changing moment that occurred for the little boy we treated today.  

For until today, this nine-year-old boy had been living his life in the dust of all of those around him.  For until today, this boy could only move about by crawling on his hands and knees.  For until today, this boy existed publicly only as a part of his mother’s shadow, having to latch onto her to travel outside of their home.  

But today, this boy, born with deformities that make him unable to walk, unable to play with his peers, and unable to go to school, stood with independent pride.

And during this moment, everyone in the room stood a little taller and smiled a little deeper as they too felt the pride and joy experienced by this boy as he took his first steps with his new crutches, new freedom, new life.

- - -

This moment highlighted the very essence of why I go to Haiti and what I do as an athletic trainer.  As part of Project Medishare's sustained work in Haiti, our athletic training group from Merrimack College's Haiti Service Learning Initiative has helped build health care and human capacity in rural Haiti.  Through our involvement over the past three years, we have been able to expand the level of care available for people suffering from activity-related injuries.  But for this boy, we were surely not going to be able to provide the level of care he needed.  

Not being able to fix his legs.  Not being able to refer him to a specialist.  We did what athletic trainers, and Haitians, take pride in doing; we found a way, any way, that we could help get the job done.  And like the country he was born in, this boy did not need a hand out, he just needed a hand up.

~Wednesday, January 8th, 2014

Central Plateau, Haiti