Feel good Friday!

Opening a door seems easy, doesn’t it? Picking something up off the floor? No worries. Feeding yourself, sure. But for Patrick from Zambia, these simple tasks were frustratingly out of reach.

Thanks to the support of kind people like yourself, 12-year-old Patrick can now do these tasks FOR HIMSELF. He can feed himself; he can open doors, he can pick up things, and, importantly for him, he now feels just like his friends.

Can you imagine how this would feel to be able to do these things for yourself after having to rely on others? It must be so thrilling, a real surge of excitement and joy!

And this feeling, this happiness, is because of you!

His journey to this point has been a long and difficult one for such a young child. Patrick lost both hands in a terrible fire when he was one year old. He suffered extensive burns and was left with scars from his mouth down to his hands and part of his lower body.

Since then, he has gone through a lot of surgery to treat the burns on his face, body, and hands.

As you can imagine, for Patrick and his family, this would have been horrific and devastating.  What he and his parents have gone through is soul destroying, but with your help, you’ve given them a different future!

Thanks to a great team of orthotists and prosthetists in Zambia, a unique set of hands was developed for Patrick.

First, the strength of Patrick’s arm muscles and his measurements were assessed. Casts were then moulded, and the prosthetics were made – for his right and left arms. Then, the team had to fit the prosthetics and train Patrick on how to use them.

And now thanks to you, opening a door is just a simple everyday task for Patrick!

Patrick and his family want to say a big thank you to you for changing Patrick’s life!

Patrick’s goal is now completing grade one and learning to write.

Thank you for being a part of Patrick’s good news story. Your wonderful, inspiring support is valued and has had a tangible impact on changing young Patrick’s life. Thank you for being a part of Patrick’s good news story!

Jessica Redwood
Chief Executive Officer
Children First Foundation