Patient Story: Delang
Delang is 25 years old. When he was in high school, he was assaulted and suffered a severe head and spinal injury. The injury left him a quadriplegic.
Since that day, his life has changed in every way. He depends on others for care. His father has taken on that role and stays by his side each day.
During the Hayes Medical Clinic trip in Peten, the team fitted Delang with a standard wheelchair. It was a step forward, but it did not meet all his needs. Because of his condition, he could not hold his head up while sitting. Without support, even sitting in the chair was a struggle.
The clinical team saw the problem right away. They asked if a headrest could be made for him.
There was no ready solution. The team did not have a special needs chair available. Supplies were limited. There were a few spare parts, some nuts and bolts, and basic tools.
A headrest from another chair used earlier that week was available, but it had no way to attach it.
The team began to improvise.
They searched through the equipment and found two footrests with clamps that could attach to the back of the wheelchair. What they still needed was a bar to connect them.
The search continued through the building. In a hallway closet, they found an electric drill and a grinder. In a pile of debris, they found a ten-foot length of galvanized steel pipe.
John Parker, a mobility clinic wheelchair assembler, stepped in and led the work to cut and shape the pipe into a crossbar. He fixed it to the clamps on the back of the chair and secured the headrest to the bar.
It was a simple build, made from limited materials and what could be gathered during the moment. But it reflects what Faith In Practice volunteers do in situations like this. They do not stop at what is available or expected. They work through limits, think creatively, and stay until a patient’s basic need is met. For Delang, that effort changed everything.
For the first time, he could sit with his head supported.
When he was placed in the chair, his face changed. A smile spread across it, slow and clear. It was a moment the team will not forget.
That smile said what words could not.
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