Medical Help for One Ethiopian Boy Makes for One Happy Mom!
August 21, 2010 Remember our friend Mikias? The young Ethiopian boy who has been spending a little time with us in Mallorca for treatment of his chronic osteomyelitis?Well, after four months, the clinging, multiresistant and mutating bacteria that has been an inseparable companion to Mikias for the last four years, and the cause of the destruction of one of his arms, has been beaten. With medical help from the Mediterranea group, his cultures are finally negative. This is great news, which we had almost lost hope to be able to give.
Mikias has gained more than 19 pounds, his nutritional state has improved and so has his body’s natural defense mechanisms. Mikias has healthy bone at last as a result of good nutrition, proper medical attention, antibiotics, and a boy with a strong will to live.
Next Friday, Mikias will have his big operation where a filling material, which stimulates the growth of new bone tissue, will be introduced to his bone, and the severe deformity of his arm will be corrected.
A new life for Mikias can be now be seen on the horizon.
Here, we leave you with a beautiful photograph of Mikias´s mother at her house in Ethiopia. The happiest mother in the world knowing that her son will have a normal life. Because if life in Ethiopia is hard without having a disability, with one, life turns into something terrible, condemning you to extreme poverty with no opportunity for a decent life.
Mikias´s mother is about to give birth, so we are very happy to be able to give her Mikias’s successful treatment as a gift to her during this special moment of her life.
Mikias´s family loves him very much. The entire village is following the progress of Mikias, and when anyone asks, “Where is he?” the answer is that he is “In Spain” “In Spain? Ah! Yes! The ones that beat everyone to win the World Cup!” – and the ones who won the battle against Mikias´s bacteria too, heh, heh!
On an additional note, Martha, the girl who came to Mallorca on two occasions to be operated for a serious cifoescoliosis (hump and lateral curvature of the spine) has passed her checkup with our trusted Cuban orthopedist surgeon in Addis Ababa, and is well. This is further great news as her vertebra was so delicate due to malnutrition that we were worried they would not hold the spinal fixings, like once before, when she had to return to Mallorca to go through surgeries multiple times. Today is a day for good news, at least for these special Ethiopians. We are happy that Mediterranea can help and be a part of these success stories.
