Meet Rooney

I first met Rooney in his home in Kipsongo. He had scabies and his little body was so itchy, but he was so happy and smiled through our entire visit. He was very unsure of me and would start to cry if I got too close, so I kept my distance and talked to his mother. I brought him some medicine until his scabies cleared up and then went back to check on him one day and heard that he had moved away with his mother.

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Rooney on the first day I met him.

Then later I got a call about a child in Kipsongo and was taken right back to Rooney’s house. He had returned and I talked to his mother about a way forward. Usually, I try to make my visits to families during lunchtime because it’s the easiest way to see if kids are getting proper meals at home. On one of these visits, we found nothing cooking and the older girls in the family came home from school for lunch and were given a small stick of sugar cane and were then sent back to school. Rooney was born with Cerebral palsy and has epilepsy as well. He is unable to speak and when he came could only crawl around. He had never received physical therapy in his life. His parents seem to love him very much, but also don’t really know where to begin to give him proper care. So we moved him into PKC.

Rooney was also more than ready to start going to school. Every time I went to visit him he was so happy and smiley until I got too close, then he would start to cry. This last time I sat down and started talking to his parents about the possibility of him coming to PKC for school. When I got up to leave Rooney tried to leap into my arms and was ready to go that instant. We scheduled a day for me to come and pick him and his parents up so that they could see where he was going and come to visit him. The second Rooney saw me, he began waving goodbye to his parents and was ready to go to school.

After just two weeks of being at Precious Kids School he began walking on his own. He was very wobbly and unsteady, but he was determined. Now he is confident and has gained the strength and balance he needs to get around by himself. He cannot speak, but he is a bright boy who understands everything and is working on communicating using signs. His favorite is the thumbs up.

Rooney is our little firecracker. He is full of jokes and has the best laugh. We love having Rooney as a part of the family!

2018ooney

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PO Box 2021-30200, Kitale, Kenya

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