Day #2: Today’s reflections of Serving
Preparing my eyes to witness transition
Preparing my feet to walk the journey “alongside” each patient from uncertainty to Hope.
Preparing my mind to transcribe the words that reflect life altering changes.
The day was filled with 34 patients walking into our clinic looking for Team 916 to transition HOPE, changing the dynamics of not only the individual patient but their family members! Being immobile is a dependency intertwined with patience and stillness until someone offers helping hands ~with this comes limitations if resources are not available. It can be restrictive to in-house or only to short outings. This team became “those” helping hands and feet transitioning stillness into mobility; Bridging dynamic connections with the patients and their families! The excitement is reflective in the families smiles of gratitude from receiving mobility devices.
Lillian Elizabeth’s Story:
Lillian Elizabeth~has Cerabyl Palsy and has been living this for 26years, she cannot walk by herself her world was shaped by her father’s arms. Today her life is forever changed being given a wheelchair, opening a new perspective to seeing, not where she has come from, but where she’s going….feeling safe, secure and comfortable!
The moment she sat upright, secure and comfortable, her world opened. For the first time, she could look her parents in the eyes at the same level. No longer hidden behind her father’s shoulder, she was present — alongside them.
Lilian’s heart is open with new meaning to her purpose enjoying her life “alongside” her parents, not as a burden of being carried but with her heart wide open!
Her smile said it all: she wasn’t just being carried anymore, she was moving forward. The wheelchair wasn’t just equipment; it was freedom, dignity, and a chance to live her life as the beautiful young woman she is.
Now, Lillian’s journey is not about where she has been carried, but where she chooses to go. And with her heart wide open, she is ready to embrace every step of this new chapter.
Jose’s Journey to Freedom:
Jose is 58 yo, he has a soft gentle kindred spirit about him despite experiencing major trauma from being beaten by some men causing him to have both legs amputated.
By getting a wheelchair he wheeled “himself” out, upright and independent. That moment was more than mobility; it was freedom.
He became a man moving forward on his own terms, reclaiming dignity and joy. His wheelchair gave him more than movement —the gift of simply being together with family without the shadow of dependency.
Jose’s smile as he rolled out the door said it all: this was not the end of his story, but the beginning of a new chapter filled with hope, strength, and freedom.
Benita and Maria’s Story:
Imagine “2” family members in one home heavily dependent upon one person to carry them everywhere. The mom (Benita-83yo) and daughter (Maria-57yo) were brought in both needing better mobility to relieve the other daughter of double weighted burden.
Each hopeful for more independence, to eliminate their family from carrying the weight of constant care. A wheelchair was provided for Maria but either could use and the mother (Benita) was strong able take a walker to allow her mobility within her home not impeding on her daughter needs. These simple gifts reshaped their family life. Instead of feeling like a heavy responsibility, their care became lighter, more balanced, and filled with dignity. Now, the family moves together with grace, no longer defined by burden but by love and shared freedom.
Batina Fewell- Blogger and Photographer
