“My wish is to go back to school when my bones are strong,” shares 13-year-old Ernest from Tanzania. “I will study hard to become a doctor so that I can help others who are suffering from various illnesses.”
Ernest has bilateral genu valgus, a bone deformity that causes his legs to bend and prevents him from walking.
“Ernest is the third-born in a family of eight children,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Ernest is very polite and friendly. He was born perfectly fine and had normal growth until he was eight years old. His bones slowly started to bend and became very weak to the extent that Ernest could no longer walk. He had to stop going to school and could not play soccer or run around with other children as he used to.”
“Ernest’s parents are small-scale farmers– relying on growing and selling maize and beans,” AMHF continues. “Apart from farming, Ernest’s mother also buys and sells charcoal. Their income is still not enough to cover the cost of their everyday expenses as well as pay the cost of corrective surgery which Ernest needs.”
Today, his doctors write, “Ernest is unable to stand or walk due to the deformity of his limbs.” But with $940, they can perform surgery to improve his mobility and enable him to pursue his dreams!