After being here in Cape Town for almost two months now, I
can see many changes in my actions and attitudes towards many different things.
For example, I am appreciating way more than I ever would have if it weren’t
for this trip because of everything I have seen and experienced here. After
being in a school three days a week with children suffering from a multitude of
disabilities, I am utterly thankful for my health as well as everyone in my life
who has loved and supported me to this day. Many of the children I see do not
have stable homes to go to at the end of the day or loving parents who will do
anything in their power to keep them healthy and safe. One of the most
beautiful stories I have heard is about one of the young girls at Eros with
severe cerebral palsy. Her parents neglected her, she was sent to many
different orphanages where she still didn’t receive adequate care, until she
was finally sent to Red Cross Hospital at the age of 5. She was so
malnourished, she was wearing clothes for an 18 month old baby, that’s how tiny
she was because no one knew how to properly take care of her. She was finally
sent to Eros where the therapists and teachers fell in love with her and
actually took it upon themselves to rotate taking care of her on the weekends at
their homes when she isn’t staying at the attached hostel at school. After only
being at Eros for a year, it is miraculous the kinds of improvements she has
made, simply because of love. Her story can teach a lot of different lessons,
but for me her story means to always have hope, no matter the situation. Up
until she was a five year old girl, people have doubted her but with a little
bit of hope and love, she has made incredible improvements and is changing the
lives of others just by putting a smile on their face. Upon returning to the
States, I will make a promise to myself to never forget her success story and
to have hope in everyone I encounter and every future situation I find myself
in, even if it seems impossible.
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