It’s always a little crazy how kids find their way into the house. Most of them I had met long before they came into the home, but the timing just wasn’t right. Then there’s that moment, when I know that it is God’s plan for that kid to come to the house.
Victor when I first met him.
That’s exactly what happened with Victor. His mother, Phoebe was just fifteen years old when he was born and she has been struggling to provide for him ever since. Victor cannot sit on his own or support his own head. He doesn’t talk and needs to be fed and have his diaper changed. His mom loves him very much, but doesn’t have the knowledge or means to provide for him. She has been kicked out of her mother’s home and had two husbands leave her because she refused to abandon her son.
I met her about two years ago, but I never felt that tug on my heart to bring him to the house. I had been helping to support them from home before I went home last August. I brought them food every now and then, checked on Victor’s progress and got them connected with a physical therapist. When I came back in February I went to visit and found that they had moved. His mother doesn’t have a phone so I didn’t know how to find them.
Then last week we were doing some home visits and wandered to a part of town called Birunda to see Manu’s parents. As we were walking out I spotted a mother feeding her son outside of their home. I could tell that the boy had a disability and went over to say hi. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was Victor. After asking where they were and calling various wrong numbers for months, there they were. I talked to his mom and we agreed that the first thing we would do was take him to the doctor. Victor is malnourished and has seizures and Phoebe couldn’t afford the medication that he needed.
Victor sitting with his mother outside their home.
The next day we just showed up at the house and found that Phoebe had gone to work. She has three other children to feed and provide for so she has no other choice, but to leave Victor at home. We found him locked inside the tiny mud hut in the dark, all alone. It broke my heart to see this family in such a situation. Phoebe loves her son and Victor loves her back (he giggles and squeals at the sound of her voice), but they are stuck in a tough situation. That was the moment I knew that it was finally Victor’s time to come to Precious Kids Center.
We took him to the doctor and got him an EEG. The results came back irregular, as we expected since his mother told us that he has siezures. The doctor then sent us to get a CT scan. The results showed that Victor has a rare condition called Schizencephally. Basically, the majority of the left side of his brain never developed, which is the cause of all of his other issues. Despite everything that this little guy has been through he is one of the happiest kids at the house.
He rarely is seen without a huge smile on his face and is happy to be around the other kids, get to sit out in the sun and get the care he needs.
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