Alex and Maverick Couldn’t Walk. Now, They Run.
Helping Children with Limb Disabilities: A child who cannot walk due to a limb disability experiences struggles that many of us never have to face: they cannot walk to school, run, or play with friends. They cannot use their arms and hands for simple, everyday tasks. They are vulnerable to abuse and neglect, or are left untreated because their family cannot afford to get them fitted with a prosthetic limb.
Access to orthopedic care can dramatically improve the life of a child with a limb disability. Being fitted with a prosthetic limb gives a child the ability to walk to school, hug their family, play with friends and grow up with more independence.
2013 Honoree C. Mead Welles of A Leg To Stand On has provided orthopedic care for more than 9,000 children with limb disabilities living in 10 developing countries. Meet Alex and Maverick, two young boys from Ecuador. Each is missing one of their legs. Now, they are not just walking — but running — in their very first 5k race:
Alex and Maverick’s Story
Alex and Orlando (aka “Maverick”), two young boys from Ecuador, are congenital amputees, meaning they were born without one of their limbs. They desperately needed prosthetic limbs to walk, but their families could not afford expensive medical care. Like so many disabled children in developing countries, they could not look forward to a life of independence and opportunity.
Thanks to Mead Welles and A Leg To Stand On, Alex and Maverick were each fitted with a prosthetic leg. Now, they are not just walking but running in their very first 5k race.
They are pictured above at the 2nd Annual Jenn Lee 5k Race in Ibarra, Ecuador, to help raise awareness and funds for other people with disabilities, particularly amputees in Ecuador.