Blog & Photos by Melanie Detty (October 12, 2019)
I will never forget the day I met Irene. She had the most radiant smile…All the time! She was beautiful and energetic and I remember thinking I want to be just like her! Cherie and I and the Namelok Ladies fellowshipped together, and Irene sang her heart out!
A day or 2 later I experienced Irene at her home. She had the same energy, the same smile & still as beautiful as ever. It was there that I met Irene’s daughter, Zerete and her son, Lawrence.
Lawrence didn’t speak, he couldn’t sit up, couldn’t control his arms and legs,
couldn’t walk and couldn’t feed himself. What he could do was smile & giggle when he heard Irene’s voice
…he smiled just like his momma.
Irene did her daily tasks, and I watched her chop, bundle and carry firewood on her head all while Lawrence was strapped to her back. If you know my family, then you know this day was emotional for me as I have watched my mother care for my sister almost my entire life.
I know how exhausting this can be, and how sometimes it can even rob you of your joy. And yet there was Irene before me
, happy as she could be!
Part of me melted out there in the field and the other part of me wanted to scream, “Go Irene Go, You’ve Got This Girl!”
A few days later, with a couple of texts and a handful of people, not only was a wheelchair ordered for Lawrence but he will be receiving physical therapy as well. Thanks to the combined efforts of generous people, Foothold International and TCA, Irene is able to say, “Thanks for giving Lawrence legs and a seat!”
Look for updates, pictures and videos of Lawrence therapy and progress.
