“I always dreamt of the day I would be able to walk on two straight feet,” said Ability, reliving her past experiences.
13-year-old Ability is a bubbly, happy, and chatty young lady born with a disability called bilateral clubfoot. This condition caused her feet to curve inward and upward, affecting her bones, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels.
Born in a family of seven, Ability lost her mother at the tender age of three. Since then, her father has been raising Ability and her siblings with the help of Theresa, Ability’s grandmother. Despite being born with a disability, her family spoke life into her, and true to her name, Ability didn’t let her clubfoot stop her from being joyful and socialising with people. She loves to sing and is part of the girls’ singing group at her local church. When Ability was born, her family believed she was a gift from God and shut their ears to all the negativity and stigma that came with her clubfoot from members of the community.
A Glimmer of Hope
Ability’s father and grandmother had been to many hospitals and traditional healers, but still, they were all to no avail. As fate would have it, on one blessed day, a man from the neighbouring village saw Ability and knew there was a solution for her feet. He told Theresa about Beit CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia. She promptly told Ability’s father, and they quickly arranged to bring Ability to Beit CURE.
When Theresa and Ability arrived, they saw before-and-after photos of past patients who had different conditions, including clubfoot. This brought joy and excitement to Theresa. “I knew we were in the right place because my heart was at peace. We had finally found a solution to my granddaughter’s pain,” said Theresa.
Never in a million years would Ability’s family have thought that her condition would be treatable. “Ever since birth, we thought this is how God wanted her to be. We have always loved and cherished her. She is a unique and loving child,” recalls Theresa.
The Beit CURE medical team created a treatment plan for Ability, and the wait was over. Ability’s surgery day finally came! The strong and optimistic teenager was so excited to be in the operating room. “Can you please take a picture of me and my anaesthesia doctors?” Ability asked the Beit CURE Storyteller.
After gladly obliging her request, the anaesthesia team put her to sleep. Then, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Beit CURE Medical Director, Dr.Moyo, started a talectomy procedure on her right leg with the help of Resident Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Nfila.
One hour and forty minutes later, her surgery was successfully completed, and she was taken back to the ward to be reunited with her grandmother.
After months of carefully correcting the position of her right foot, she had made remarkable progress and was finally stable enough to undergo surgery on her left foot. The same procedure was performed, and once again, she responded exceptionally well. As she continued to heal, her confidence in walking on her straight feet grew with the close and careful guidance from the Beit CURE physiotherapists.
A New Life on Straight Feet
Before her surgery, Ability couldn’t do any hard chores around the house, and walking long distances was a real struggle. Even riding a bike, the one thing she loved, caused her pain. “Before my peers would laugh at me and say, ‘Look at how her feet are curved in. She’s disabled.’ Their words hurt me deeply,” said Ability, looking down and reliving her past.
Today, after two years of treatment, perseverance, and strength, Ability stands tall on two straight feet. Finally, she is back in school in grade six with plans to pursue a career in nursing so she can help people with the same condition she had.
“Now, all the people who used to laugh at me are amazed. They look at my straight feet and say, ‘Ability, God truly loves you.’ And every time I hear that, it brings me joy because I’ve always known in my heart that God loves me,” said Ability with a smile on her face
“I would like to say thank you to everyone who sponsored my granddaughter’s surgery. Without your support, we wouldn’t have been able to receive this life-changing care,” Theresa shared. “Only God in heaven knew and prepared their hearts to help children like my granddaughter. For that, I am truly grateful to you, and most of all, to God.”
Thanks to the generous donations and ongoing support from CURE’s friends and partners, Ability can now walk, run, and ride her bicycle freely without pain or fear. What once felt like a distant dream is now her beautiful reality.
Would you join us in helping make transformations like this possible for other kids like Ability who need surgical intervention? Make a gift that demonstrates the love of Christ to more children like Ability by providing the surgical care they urgently need.
About the Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia
Established in 2006, CURE Zambia performs over 2,500 life-changing reconstructive, orthopedic, ENT, and audiological surgeries each year for children suffering from treatable disabilities. Strategically located in Lusaka, the teaching hospital comprises six buildings, 54 beds, and three operating theatres. In addition to world-class clinical service, CURE Zambia ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their communities. The Beit Trust, a UK-based charity, provided the funding for this facility as a centennial gift to the people of Zambia. CURE Zambia is a strategic partner with the Ministry of Health.
