The otherwise high-spirited Theresie limped increasingly every day, and her pains grew all the time. In the nearest hospital, the treatment for the four-year-old girl consisted merely of lying in bed all day while a big weight was pulling down her leg. So, it was no wonder that one month later, she came back from the hospital feeling very down. Finally, we sent her x-rays to one of our doctor friends in Hungary, who diagnosed her illness. As it turned out, her hips had to be completely relieved of any pressure, which could only be done with crutches or a walker. Although we managed to purchase crutches for her, and Sister Willy taught her how to walk with them, getting around still remained a problem for her, preventing her from participating in the games with the other children. After organizing it for weeks, we took her to the capital, where in two weeks, her personalized walker was completed. The sum of money that the foundation paid for it (about 60 thousand Forints or 185 USD), is more than half a year’s salary for an average Kenyan (for example, the orphanage’s caregivers). So, from this illness, Kenyan children likely never recover, never learning to walk again without pain. Theresie, however, doesn’t feel sad anymore; the smile on her face can’t be wiped off, she chatters and plays again.

In the meantime, the orphanage’s manager, Sister Willy, was working on the fields without a stop. At the end of one of these days, when she was already limping because of the huge workload, Theresie caught sight of her and called out to her: “You are like me! Call Panka, she will take you to Nairobi, then you will have another leg, too, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

We hope that in two more years, the little girl will be able to run about on two healthy legs again.