Maikal is a five year old boy who was born without hands or feet.  His mother brought him to the Clinic soon after he was born, but after his first visit – we never saw him again.  He came in today with his mother and two siblings.  He is now in school and doing very well.  He gets around very well by walking on his knees.  His mother is trying to find some kind of protection or padding for his knees, which by now are well calloused.  He quickly wears holes in the pants of his school uniforms.  Please watch the videos below….Maikal doesn’t seem to realize that he is at a physical disadvantage.  He was racing his brother and sister on the patio the entire time he was at the Clinic.  Because many of the streets in San Lorenzo are still paved with rocks or rough surfaces, he doesn’t get to run around and play on tile very often….

We are hoping to help Maikal in two ways.  The first is simple.  We would like to get some form of knee pad that he can wear to cushion his knees when he walks.  His mother says he often complains that his knees hurt.

Our second goal is to get Maikal to a foundation in Quito that helps provide prostheses to patients who have lost arms or legs.  We will contact the foundation to see what needs to be done to get Maikal into the system.  We are hoping they might be able to provide some type of prosthesis for both his upper and lower extremities.

We will keep you updated on Maikal’s progress!