We took a wheelchair for donation. Kristen went as our handicap because 4 years ago she hurt her knee. That was good enough to get the wheelchair transported on the plane for free. In Peru there was a very nice man waiting for it. He WAS a taxi driver and had a wife and 3 children. He was in a taxi accident and he had large spikes sticking out all over his legs and no painkillers.( he says he broke all 4 legs so we suppose that means both femurs and both lower legs.) anyway, he lost his home because he couldn't pay for the rent and he had to move his family into the most horrible little dirt room. No water, no sewer, no windows, a broken door hanging on 1 broken hinge and only a dirt floor and walls. All day long he just lay on the homemade bed until his wife returned from working at the market and could help him move. To get in and out of his dirt room we had to walk up 2 flights of rickety rackety old stairs one person at a time because the stairs were detaching from the mud bracings. We figured we were going to have 4 broken legs too when the stairs broke under us.We helped him into his wheelcair but we could tell he was in terrible pain. He was so thankful for the chair that he tried not to show pain but wanted to thank us a million times. But again as always, the thanks does not go to us but to the person who donated the wheelchair to us.
This incident bothered one of the girls the most. I supposed it was because this man reminded her of her father. This kind Peruvian man became a real person to her. If she had been born in Peru and if her father was hurt in an accident.... there would be noone to take care of him and where would the next meal come from. After returning from Peru, many times I would notice her crying as she was thinking about this little family.
