Child of the month – Noivember 2009

CHILD
of the month

By Rich Petersen

Joselyn I. Morales Becerra

 

child-nov09Seen here is one of Niños Incapacitados’ “success stories,” nine-year old Joselyn Morales Becerra. Joselyn is the youngest of three children and lives with them and their mother, Maricela, in Atotonilquillo. The family moved recently from Chapala to Atotonilquillo due to the father’s leaving the family on its own, an often-too-common occurrence these days.

Joselyn is in fourth grade and an excellent student. She says she would like to be a teacher when she grows up. She loves to be outside in “el campo;” she also loves to dance and to play with her dolls. Her sister Tania is 11 and in fifth grade; her brother José Gustavo is 17 and has one more year of high school. He would like to go on to college and study sports medicine and therapy. The siblings and their mother are very close and have helped their little sister with her disability throughout the years.

In fact, at our last meeting Joselyn’s Mom brought some photographs of Joselyn dancing with a group of her friends and also at a fashion show—all with her brace in place and doing an excellent job of keeping up with the others. She has never allowed her disability to keep her from most activities any little girl her age enjoys.

Joselyn has been with Niños Incapacitados since the age of three. She was born with severely turned-in feet which made it almost impossible for her to walk without assistance. The doctors at the Hospital Civil in Guadalajara have monitored Joselyn over the years. Their treatment has been one of using different orthopedic shoes and braces to gradually straighten the little girl’s feet and knees, guiding them gently into a more normal position.

The best news is that with the last brace and shoes that were fitted just a month or two ago, the doctors believe that in another six months, Joselyn will be able to then walk without any kind of brace. This was more than evident at our last meeting when she walked briskly around the room and showed hardly any sign of weakness or hesitation.

Please join us the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 at the Hotel La Nueva Posada in Ajijic to meet other children like Joselyn and to learn more about what Niños Incapacitados does and how you could help as a volunteer.   Also, watch for news about two of our fundraising events, one in January and then in February, 2010.

Ojo Del Lago
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