Helping a Handicapped Child - Without Leaving Home
Agustin, a happy kid
When it comes to Agustin, I’m not sure how to describe him. It is not politically correct to say he is crippled. Under ‘handicap’, Wikipedia says the preferred term is disabled. Agustin would use none of these words to describe himself. He is a happy, outgoing 12-year-old, who doesn’t realize he shouldn’t be playing on the Orphanage soccer team. Nothing slows him down.
Agustin, before his surgery
Agustin was born with a disability. His femur was not attached properly because he has an abnormally shaped hip socket. He walked with his foot and ankle malrotated, so that he stepped on the inside of his foot. He came to the Orphanage when he was 3 years old. When he was five, Angela Kilpatrick of Tennessee, and Tom Snyder of California became passionately involved in helping Agustin. (Read the story.) Through their persistent phone calls and generous donations, Agustin had surgery in 2001. The doctors at the Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles felt that his surgery was a success. Although he healed well, he still has a problem with his walking.
Fast forward five years. Another gringo has become passionate about helping Agustin. Kim Roudebush of California (and an El Sauzal Foundation Inc. board member) began calling Shriners Hospital to get help for Agustin. Through much persistence, she got an appointment. Sunday, Orphanage Director Josue Espinoza wrote:
I took Agustin last Saturday (April 29th) to Tijuana, the doctor examined him have an x-rays and he decided that Agustin have to go back to Los Angeles Shiners for another surgery, he explain me, that he need to cover the leg bone because in the future, Agustin will be having a larger problem, Agustin have an appointment in Tijuana July 31 for the passport, I think the Hospital will be helping with the paper work, so we wait until then. Thank you Kim for your support and all your work.
Helping a handicapped child can be an overwhelming task. How do you start? Can you really make a difference? What is exciting to me is that Angela, Tom and Kim all helped Agustin without leaving home. They had resources - time, money and communications - that are in short supply at the Orphanage.
Maybe you have some resources to share. Who knows what kind of difference you can make without leaving home!