Nelson… The first time I saw him was in the “mud-hut” village in “Old Letant.”  There was a huge hog lying in the dirt and mud near the mud huts. I watched as a Haitian mother came carrying her child “by one arm,” and dropping the toddler on the ground beside the hog. I watched as he “sat on his knees, which folded under him.” She brought him no food or water. Because he could not walk, she considered him a “burden!” The children walked by, slapped him on the head, and called him “pa bezouin.” It means, “we don’t want you or need you.”

I walked over and picked up the naked little boy. He instantly threw his arms around my neck, unafraid. I walked over to the hut and told his mother, “Give him to me. I can make him walk.” She said, “Take him, take him!” I did! We gave him a bath and put him in a crib. He was about two, but he had a fear of standing. After months, we bought him a little tricycle! He began to walk by putting his hands on the seat and pushing the bike! Today, Nelson is a young teen, works hard, and is very intelligent!

Sherry