www.newsobserver.com
yonat.shimron@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4891
DURHAM -- When Yudel Hernandez lost his ability to walk two years ago, his world closed in around him.
The Cuban government gave him a standard-issue manual wheelchair, but because his arms were too weak to move the wheels, he was at the mercy of his mother to push him around.
On Thursday, Yudel tried a motorized, electric wheelchair for the first time. As he tooled around the corridors of Duke Children's Hospital pushing the joy stick, he pronounced it good.
" Si me gusta," said the plump 12-year-old. "I like it."
Yudel and his mother, Mahelia Hernandez-Linares, arrived in Durham on Wednesday as part of a rare act of international good will between two countries, which haven't been on speaking terms for 50 years. Thanks to the efforts of a Baptist church in Smithfield and a Baptist community in Ciego de Avila, in north central Cuba, Yudel and his mother have been allowed a two-week trip to North Carolina.
The Smithfield church, Sharon Baptist, plans to extend the pair the best of Southern hospitality. In addition to persuading Duke Hospital to assess Yudel's condition for free - he suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy - the church has managed to secure free air travel, a free motorized wheelchair and a free cough assist device for the youngster. While he's here, they'll take him to Washington, D.C., to a Durham Bulls ballgame, and to Devil's Ridge Motocross track (Yudel loves car racing).
"This is one of those opportunities that helps break down the prejudicial barriers that exist between our governments," said the Rev. Christopher Ingram, pastor of Sharon Baptist. "It will open doors to continued conversation with a larger group of people."
Read the rest of this amazing story at http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/30/460343/us-doctors-church-havecuban-boy.html?tab=gallery&gallery=/2010/04/29/459959/cuban-boy-receives-medical-care.html&gid_index=1#gallerytop
No comments:
Post a Comment