Making friends and finding healing: Meet Swabra!
Pictured above: Swabra, her mother, and her brother at CURE Kenya
Swabra is an 8-year-old happy, enthusiastic, and inquisitive girl. Unfortunately, when she was four years old, Swabra contracted malaria. She was taken to the hospital, but the diagnosis was somewhat inconclusive, and the medical practitioner opted to treat her with an injection. Zam, her mother, accepted the treatment with mixed feelings. Swabra was administered an injection on her right thigh’s nerve hub. A month later, the pain began to creep into her leg. She could not sleep, walk in an upright posture, or even skip rope. Zam got very worried.
Swabra underwent four months of nerve stimulation at a local clinic, but it was futile. Zam later moved to Nairobi, Kenya to seek better medical attention, but her searches always came back empty. She had developed clubfoot and had a hard time getting around. Swabra’s self-esteem plummeted every time she went out to play. “She came to me one evening after school crying her heart out. ‘Why?’ Someone had called her a cripple,” Zam told us amidst tears. “That was the first time I saw my daughter’s tears. It pained me deeply.”
Despite the mocking and constantly being put down, Swabra’s engaging personality remained. She continued to make friends with children and adults. Because of her inquisitiveness and charm, everybody around where they lived knew her and one of these friendships led to her healing. Swabra made a friend with their neighbor who introduced them to CURE Kenya. Zam was initially concerned they wouldn’t be able to afford to go to a specialized hospital like CURE since all the money she earned at a local restaurant went to support her two children. She worked hard, but there was never much leftover. Thankfully CURE Kenya was able to share that Swabra’s surgery would be covered, and Swabra’s healing was possible despite Zam’s limited means.
Upon arriving at CURE Kenya, Zam bragged to us, “We are at CURE because of Swabra. Her charm made it possible. I am thankful to God for my daughter!” Swabra is a Luganda name that translates to ‘subira’ in Kiswahili and ‘patience’ in English. As she goes in for her ‘clubfoot’ surgery, they will use patience that God will manifest and change their lives in His time. Coming to CURE is surely the beginning of Swabra’s transformation, and we thank God for the opportunity to help Swabra achieve her desire of wearing dresses and skirts like all her girlfriends.
Footnote: Article written by Acadius Akungwi on Monday 15th February 2021
