Seventeen years ago, in a small town in the Peruvian Andes, the Mora family welcomed their first child—a baby boy whom they named Johan, which means “God is gracious.”
They were a happy young family, and all seemed well for a while.
However, Johan’s parents noticed that he wasn’t developing the way they’d expected. They took him to a doctor, who diagnosed him with a rare illness called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as “brittle bone disease.”
The news devastated his parents, yet, it gave them a new sense of resolve and strengthened their bond as a family.
Johan is now a high school student and excels at his studies. He had been using a plastic ride-on toy to get from place to place, but there was always a risk of him falling off and getting injured.
When our distribution partner in Peru, Camino de Vida church, announced that they’d be delivering wheelchairs in Johan’s district, his parents filled out an application and brought all the necessary documents. Volunteers and staff from Camino de Vida took Johan’s measurements and fitted a new wheelchair to him—one that will seat him properly, without him worrying about falling out.
The family was overcome with joy. They never imagined that they’d ever get Johan a wheelchair, which had been beyond their humble means.
Johan expressed gratitude for the wheelchair and thanked God for all who helped him obtain one. “Now, I can get to school on my own and hang out with my friends, who can push me whenever I need help,” he said.
A wheelchair is a gift of grace: it costs nothing to its recipient, as it has already been paid for by another.
Thank you for graciously giving the gift of mobility to people like Johan.
