Manex

Let me tell you about a little boy named Manex.  He had malaria in January that affected his nervous system.  This little guy went from an active 3-4 year old to one that couldn't run and play with his siblings, cousins and friends.  His limbs were not working for him.  He had to watch his siblings, cousins and friends run and play.

Dr Marjie had given a few exercises for his family to do with Manex, but he needed some intensive physical and occupation therapy to work on a full recovery.  We were very blessed to have a physical therapy assistant (PTA) and occupational therapist (OT) on our team.  A group of us headed out make a home visit to Manex and his family.  The family was able to show what they were doing and the OT/PTA were able to encourage the family and provide further instructions.  Manex was working toward the goal of being able to walk again independently.  The rewards included chocolates.

The family relied on the team to visit almost daily for the intensive therapy.

A couple of the students were trained so that they could go out and work with Manex.  After the team left, these two students made the trek to see Manex and to watch him progress.

In the USA, we are fortunate to be able to afford shoes and to obtain various types of equipment to help with therapies.  In Zambia, it's a bit more difficult.  Manex didn't have any shoes at all.  Dr Marjie was able to find a pair of high top sneakers for him, to help him with more muscle control in his ankles.  A rolling walker was also found and brought out to Manex to use.

Over the past couple of months, Manex has gone from a child watching his siblings, cousins, and friends playing, to being able to participate a little bit.

He is now walking with his walker.

Please continue to pray for Manex as he continues to recover from the effects that malaria had on his little body.