Lumiere Charity rejoices with Mark van der Walt and all at Marike de Klerk Children Fund, as they celebrate the successful operation to the legs and feet of this little angel in South Africa.
Mark has been dedicatedly transporting and assisting the family and this little boy for a long time, as he needed urgent medical and surgical care.
His future would have been limited ability to walk, and compromised legs.
Now through the miracle of dedicated selfless care from Marike de Klerk Children Fund Organisation, and the intervention of tireless and talented Doctors and Health Personnel, this little one looks forward to a future where he will be able to walk normally.
This story of success and happiness has great personal meaning for me. As a small child, I had malformed feet which pointed inwards and would have meant a compromised future.
My mother took me to an Orthopoedic surgeon, who prescribed special boots for me to wear for years as my young feet grew, to train them to grow straight. I do remember it was a painful and long process.
My Dutch grandmother would take over when Mom was out of the house.
I remember her walking me up and down the old South African wooden block floors.
I had to try to point my feet straight; with malformed feet, it was an almost impossible task, but Ouma and Mom persevered.
Dad laboured away at work to pay for all the costly fees, and all at the hospital did what they could to help.
One day my little growing feet in the strapped boots hurt so very, very much. I was near to tears, and I whispered to Ouma as I stopped at the old black oven range just how much it hurt.
'I can't', I said to her, the tears dropping on my lashes.
Ouma knelt down to me, put her arms around me and her face close to me, and in her Dutch and broken English said to me, 'Tinks, listen to me. You must. It is for your future.
For some pain now, you will have a long future ahead of you where you will walk and be healthy.
You must be brave. Trust me. Do your practice now, and one day you will be healthy and strong.'
I listened to Ouma, my heroine, and started struggling along the wooden paving blocks again, pushing my feet in the direction they had to be trained in.
Today I have perfectly straight feet. I have worked twelve to fifteen hours straight with no problem or pain in my feet or legs.
If it had not been for my family and the dedicated Hospital staff, I would have been a cripple today.
And so the smile of the little boy in his boots after his successful operation has made my heart fill with joy at his blessings, and the remembered blessings in my life.
God sets angels along our way - and Mark and his team have been family to this little boy.
At present Mark and the Marike de Klerk Children Fund team are desperately in need of funds.
Severe weather conditions at Coronation Park have people living amongst slush and mud.
People are hungry, and the children are in need.
Is there anything you can do to help Mark with his dedicated work?
Please contact Mark at markvanderwalt@telkomsa.net
or contact lumierecharity@yahoo.co.uk
*Previous blog post about Mark and the work of Marike de Klerk Children Fund at
http://lumierecharity.blogspot.ie/2012/09/heartrending-poverty-at-coronation-park.html
*Photograph from Mark used with permission
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