They are not different, they are special

Keny sees a world that is completely different than what most of us perceive. His reality has given him much bigger obstacles with a higher degree of difficulty than most of us have. Why? The circumstances of his birth took him to a group that is different, and special.

The innocence of his condition helps him to see the good side of life in spite of his condition. It was a privilege for us to lend our services in support of a Medical Team from Michigan, organized by Brad Alcorn, who every year brings physicians and nurses to our area to lend a helping hand to improve the health of our communities. Around 60 people, the majority of them children with disabilities, were transported by our bus from the community in which they live in Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara so that they could receive attention from the Medical Team that was kicking off their week in Honduras by holding a clinic on our campus. They attended to 130 patients.

It was a beautiful thing to watch the marvelous care that these compassionate physicians and nurses gave each of these special children. They always started with a prayer and shared words of encouragement and a warm smile besides providing them with their professional medical services. These special children had a wonderful time on our campus as they soon discovered the playground and set out to explore and take advantage of its location near the health team. One by one, each of them was taken to see a physician. Some could not talk, however, their eyes communicated what words could not express and were filled with life and love. Some could not hear, but their smiles showed their gratitude. Some could not walk, and yet their parents were there to carry them. For others it was mental slowness or Down’s Syndrome that affected their bodies but not their ability to smile. The conclusion I came to is that we should give thanks in everything for everything that we have that perhaps others do not have. For many of these children who have apparently so little it appeared that they do have a better capacity to be grateful than those of us who appear to be well.

• It is estimated that 14% of the Honduran population has a disability.• A disability is considered to be anything that is a deficiency that limits the ability to engage in activities and restricts participation in them. It is a complex thing that reflects an interaction between the characteristics of the human body and the characteristics of the community in which it lives.