11-year-old Grant Mostert, in his own words, had so much pain that he would spend weeks at a time crying. This little boy’s heartbreaking tale is just one of many similar stories of children in poorer families in South-Africa. Children who, due to their family’s socio-economic status, have not received the medical care they needed from a young age.
Grant was born with cerebral palsy, which caused right-sided weakness of his body and consequent severe shortening of his Achilles tendon.
Because his family couldn’t afford it, Grant did not receive therapy for the effects of the cerebral palsy, which, in the end, resulted in the development of a foot deformity. This deformity caused Grant to have to walk using only the ball of his foot. This was an excruciating way to get around since it made it impossible for him to walk normally, or even wear shoes.
During Operation Healing Hands’ 2019 Mandela Month campaign, Grant was one of the lucky patients helped by OHH in the month that we honour former president Nelson Mandela’s legacy. He was operated on at Life Eugene Marais Hospital where OHH’s surgeons lengthened his tendons and corrected his deformed foot.
Like other children of his age, he is now able to not only to run (albeit a little clumsily) but also to ride his bicycle with pride! His guardian is attempting to procure sponsorship for him to attend New Hope School in 2020, where he would be able to learn relevant life skills and get the education necessary to reach his full potential.
Grant’s future lies ahead of him, free of the pain he had known so much of in his young life, thanks to OHH.
Article by Magriet Stander
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