We’ve gotten a bit behind on our introductions of new kids at Precious Kids Center. We grew so fast and things got hectic so we have many new friends that have yet to be introduced. Stay tuned for more posts introducing all of our new precious ones.
I first met Ayub about four years ago. He was living with his mom in an area of town called Matisi and I was introduced to them by one of their neighbors. Ayub was three years old at the time and was unable to walk or talk. He also didn’t have an appetite and it was hard to get him to eat solid foods. I gave her some money and sent her to the hospital for a few tests and the doctors told her that Ayub has Muscular Dystrophy. I helped her get some more tests and buy some foods that the doctors suggested would help him gain weight. I went home for a few months after being sick and when I came back I was told that he had passed away.
Then one day I was at the hospital and a woman brought in a very skinny and sick looking boy. I couldn’t stop staring at them because I was trying to figure out how I knew the child. Later I found out that the woman who brought him in, Anastasia, runs a home near PKC so I stopped by her room, went to say hi to the child. The story that Anastasia was told at the time when she took Ayub was that he was abandoned in town. There was a woman who came to her asking for help saying that one of her customers had come by her shop asking her to watch the child for a second while she went to buy something else and never came back. Ayub was severely malnourished and very sick. They went through the process of bring him to their home. The woman that dropped him off had said that she didn’t even know his name so they renamed him Samuel.
Ayub at the hospital
Ayub was asleep and woke up after she was done telling her story and I went to hold him and got a good look at his face. I hadn’t seen Ayub for almost two years, but I was pretty sure that it was him. So the next day I went to the hospital with his neighbor who confirmed that it was indeed Ayub. So we went to find his mother to see what was going on. We ended up going to her sister’s house and found her there. She told us that she had talked to Ayub’s dad and they had agreed that she should take him to his grandmother’s house. She said that he hadn’t seen him in a while, because she doesn’t get along with his grandmother, but that his fathers said he is doing well and had even began walking and talking. I asked for the phone number for his grandmother and went to talk to her. When we got there the grandmother got instantly angry when we started asking about Ayub. She yelled at us to go to the police station if we want more information and then stormed off.
So later that day I called Ayub’s mom, Irene, and had her meet me at the hospital. When she walked in she burst into tears after seeing her son in such bad shape. She told us that she honestly thought that he was doing better and never would have taken him to his grandmother’s house if she would have known that she would treat him so poorly. Irene, talked to me about seeing if I could take Ayub to stay with us at Precious Kids Center because his placement at the other home was only temporary. I agreed to let Ayub come and stay with us. He adjusted quickly and was nervous the first day and only wanted to be held, but quickly became comfortable with the other kids. I am always amazed at how welcoming all of the kids at PKC are and they all made him feel right at home.
Ayub’s appetite continued to improve and we got to finally see his real personality. He is quite the character and loves to clap his hands and dance around. He was severely neglected and because of that was very delayed in speaking and walking. After being with us for about a year he began to make huge improvements and can now walk on his own, feed himself and can say about 20 words. We are thrilled to see how much he has improved and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
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