Every Friday, I share stories of individuals who have received the transforming gift of mobility thanks to your generous support of Free Wheelchair Mission. Most of those people receive a wheelchair, allowing them to leave their homes, visit friends and family members, and re-connect with their neighbors.
But what happens when we meet someone who does not need a wheelchair, but instead needs help to be able to walk? What can we do for them?
Because our mission is “to provide the transforming gift of mobility to people with disabilities in developing nations as motivated by Jesus Christ,” we give people more than free wheelchairs. In some cases, we offer crutches or walkers to people who do not need wheelchairs but still require assistance for mobility. In some extreme cases, we also provide aid that will prevent, or reduce the severity of, a disability through surgery or rehabilitation.
A small but significant portion of our work at Free Wheelchair Mission falls into one of those categories, allowing us to assist people like one-year-old Chuc.
Chuc lives in Vietnam. She was born with clubfoot, a common disability in developing nations that causes one or both of the feet to twist out of position. Chuc’s family is one of the poorest in their village, and they could not afford surgery to correct her disability. In fact, Chuc’s parents had no plans to treat her clubfoot until they learned that the condition would not correct itself.
Thanks to your generosity, Chuc underwent two corrective surgeries at no cost! For the next three months, she will wear special boots to prevent her feet from returning to their previous position. Soon she will remove those boots, and one day she could walk – even run – normally like her five older siblings.
Chuc is already more joyful, and her parents are extremely happy that their daughter’s feet are in the correct position. Thank you for providing the transforming gift of mobility to people like Chuc, without a wheelchair!
Blessings,
Don Schoendorfer
