December 25, 2006I remember my dad used to sing us a humorous little ditty that went "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth..."
Six-year-old Joel Méndez lived with his family in a shack on a steep hillside in Honduras. He was born with both knees rigidly bent, preventing him from walking.
I met him when I made a home visit to Pastor Francisco Sierra, his uncle. Joel and his mother and three siblings were living with Pastor Francisco and his wife and 6 children.
Thanks be to God! Dr. Eric Wall and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have provided free surgical care to allow Joel to walk.
We arrived in the U.S. on November 15 and Joel had his evaluation on November 20.
November 28 First surgery. The contractures of the right knee were released.
December 2 First outing: “Breakfast with Santa.”
December 16 Three weeks post first surgery: Joel stood upright today (on his casted leg with a walker) for the first time in his life! 
December 20 Surgery on the left leg to straighten the left knee and break the leg bones to rotate the foot forward.
December 24 Four days post-op, Joel tolerated the 5 hour drive to Chicago for Christmas with my family.
That little ditty is still in my head - but now it goes "All I want for for Christmas is my two straight feet, my two straight feet..."
Six-year-old Joel Méndez lived with his family in a shack on a steep hillside in 
December 20
No comments:
Post a Comment