For Jonathan Outreach ay 11- Wildens

Wilden’s Mom brought him for the first time to the outreach program when he was a few months old. She brought him secondary to concerns that his knees would not bend. In October 2012 he was evaluated by the orthopedic surgery to see if there was anything that could do to help Wilden’s. The doctor reported that he felt that Wilden’s did not have knee caps but Wilden’s was too little to do surgery on. The surgeon stated that Wilden’s could possibly get surgery as he gets older & bigger but would re-evaluate next October (2013). 

Besides being unable to bend his knees Wildens has overall low muscle tone, is small for his age, & has a compromised immune system (which means he is sick a lot). During outreach we work a lot on core-strengthening with the therapy ball, working on sitting while playing with toys, and working on weight-bearing through his feet/arms. Wilden’s mom adores her son & is right down on the floor interacting with him, learning how to work with him, asking questions all well comforting & reassuring him throughout outreach. Wilden’s is very alert & aware of what is going on around him. He loves to play with toys especially with his mom.

About 6 months ago Wilden’s mother showed up distraut. When she was asked what was wrong she shared that the night before Wilden’s dad told her she had to choose between him or Wildens. When she chose Wilden’s her husband beat her & kicked her out of the house. Which left her as a single mother of a disabled child, without a job, homeless & unable to provide. She came to the Miriam Center seeking help & hope. She did not know where else to go. 

The Miriam Center was able to help her rent a room so her & Wilden’s had a safe place to live. I had the privilege of visiting their house (room) earlier this year after Wilden’s mother asked if I would come see it. It was wonderful to go…see…visit them. They live way up the mountain and it is pretty steep in a few places. I can’t imagine carrying Wilden’s up & down especially after it rains. When we went inside the house you could definitely tell her world revolved around Wilden’s. All the furniture they had was a bed & a table. The table was full of Wilden’s medicines & toys they had borrowed from the toy lending program, their water filtration bucket and solar power lantern. I just loved watching Wilden’s & his mom interact. What a special bond they share!

Wilden’s Mother is also now employed by the Miriam Center part-time. During the week she collects Moringa and dries it. She then brings it to us 2x a week & Gilbert (One of the older Miriam Home children) powders it. Moringa is a leaf that grows in Haiti and in most 3^rd world countries. It is being called a superfood and is easy to add into food to boost nutrition & fight malnourishment. In a Tablespoon of powdered Moringa there is 7x the vitamin C in oranges, 4x the Vitamin A in carrots, 3x the potassium of bananas, 2x the protein of yogurt and many other vitamins/mineral. To learn more about the Moringa Tree visit  http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa. By having this job she is now able to provide for Wildens.

In October 2013 Wilden’s got re-evaluated by the surgeon. Now that he is bigger and older it was easier to evaluate him. The doctor was able to tell that Wilden’s does in fact have knee caps but they are on the sides of his legs instead of front. The doctor thinks that Wilden’s may have Arthrogryposis. Arthrogryposis is a term used to describer a number of rare conditions characterized by stiff joints and abnormally developing muscles. It was decided that this year Wilden’s would have surgery on his feet and before next October he would get an x-ray of the hips to see if they were displaced. Wilden’s surgery went well & is recovering well.

PLEASE KEEP THIS BEAUTIFUL FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS...

~Pray for Wilden's mother to continue to rely on God & find peace and hope in Him & His word.
~Pray that Wilden's will continue to gain strength & skills from therapy and for protection from and healing from illnesses he encounters secondary to his compromised immune system.