| May 2025 report: News of several Acheru patients |
| I wrote in February about Lauza, the three year old girl suffering from Epidermis Bullosa, a condition which left her with painful wounds over her whole body and for which there is no cure. Feeding is also very difficult as her throat is affected. We did what we could to help including arranging for her to be seen at Mulago, the main government hospital. |
| I now have more news from Joyce. It seems Lauza is now doing much better, Harriet (Community Based Rehabilitation) provided her with bedsheets and skin creams, and also nutritional help. Joyce says the improvement can be seen in the mother's face. |
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| Lauza |
| Nandudu: It's always good to hear news of former patients. Nandudu is pictured on page 28 of the book 'Acheru - the Children'. She is now 25 years old, married to a very supportive husband, and has three children. She has coped very well since her amputation, learning tailoring and able to use her left foot to make up for the loss of her left hand. |
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| Nandudu |
| Lubega Jonathan is a five year old boy from Luweero District Busiika village who came to Acheru with a complaint of contractures in both knees and amputated legs as a result of fire burns. Jonathan was under the care of his grandmother after the separation of his parents and she shares how the nightmare happened. |
| 'We went to the village to mourn for our late friend. I left my grandchildren playing and I told the eldest to watch over everyone. He was 15 years old and it was not the first time to leave them behind. Someone came to me at the vigil and told me that my house was on fire. The first thing I asked was whether my grandchildren were safe but they didn't know. I rushed home where I found Jonathan severely burnt but the others were fine. |
| 'Jonathan and his young brother were sleeping together on the same mattress on the floor that night with the candle close to them. The elder grandson told them to put it out when sleeping but they did not, so we suspected fire to have started from the mosquito net. |
| 'I rushed Jonathan to the big hospital unconscious. I thought it was not going to be possible to take him home alive due to the critical condition. The doctors told me after some days that the boy was severely burnt and the legs were to be amputated. |
| 'I accepted the decision because we had no choice, we just wanted him alive. He spent more than seven months in the hospital and went back home. The community had helped me to stop the fire but we are still wondering how the fire burnt only Jonathan when the brother he was sleeping with did not get even a small scratch. People started accusing me of witchcraft, that I gave my grandson to the demons so that I can get rich, they say they have never seen such a thing where fire burns only the legs. |
| 'It hurts me so much but I always keep my trust in the Lord as a saved woman. The pain of seeing him moving without his legs hit me all the time but I have no control to rewind time. The opportunity of knowing about Acheru healed my deep pain. I have been able to see my grandson walking again, we are so happy as a family, our little boy may not be having his natural legs but he hopefully walks around the village with his head up. Thank you Acheru.' |
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| Lubega Jonathan |
