Children With Challenges
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What happens when a family who is desperate for a solution connects with a company who knows how to listen? Here is Kanybek’s Story:
Kanybek was born after a failed abortion in Kyrgyzstan just north of Afghanistan. He was left in a box outside in the cold by his birth mother. Kanybek ended up in an orphanage living in one room for the first 4 ½ years of his life. He had never been outside of that one room…. Ever. Any bathing he experienced was with scalding hot water or icy cold water, so the idea of a “nice bath” did not exist for him. He resisted being touched, he feared water and because of these terrible conditions had mold growing on him. Kanybek had cerebral palsy, was blind in one eye and couldn’t talk, walk or chew at 4 years old. He had somehow survived on soggy bread and water for 4 years.
Children with Challenges
There was a lovely Physical Therapist from Switzerland by the name of Cornelia who was working with disabled children in the village of Kyrgyzstan who noticed Kanybek. She felt he was one of the weakest children there. Cornelia learned that there were terrible atrocities taking place in a nearby orphanage and discovered they were preying on these children! They were transferring the kids who had no one to love them and could disappear unnoticed. But Cornelia noticed and she saw that Kanybek’s name was on the list.
Cornelia asked her husband, Richard if he would meet the child with the hope that they would adopt. This meant Richard would need to meet the child, make the decision and take him all in one morning!
Richard agreed to go to the orphanage and when he arrived Kanybek scooted across the floor stopping at Richards feet. He raised his hands to Richard crying out Papa. Destiny had arrived that day just in time to rescue Kanybek from a terrible fate.
Going Home
The family came to Richard’s hometown of Santa Monica, CA to start over. As Kanybek grew older, additional physical challenges appeared. He was experiencing 10 seizures a day – some extreme gran mall seizures from epilepsy. At one point he was taken in for an MRI and the family learned that Kanybek only had half of a brain shaped like a cashew. The rest was only water where the other half of his brain should be. The doctor was shocked this child was even alive! Cornelia had taught him how to walk, talk and chew.
Medications helped to reduce the number of seizures Kanybek had daily, but they didn’t stop. His seizures were so strong one bad fall would mean death. The bathroom was an extremely fearful and dangerous place for Kanybek. Cornelia and Richard were desperate for a solution to keep their son safe especially now that he was 13 years old!
They were looking for HOPE. After meeting with four different companies, they finally found Gamburd, now Lifeway Mobility.
Then Gamburd did the unimaginable. They listened. They listened to families that have children with challenges.
Most companies out there will try and fit their customer into their agenda. They attempt to have the customer’s need fall under a category of what THEY want to do rather than what the client needs done for them!
Gamburd listens, assesses, customizes and then installs. They are doing the unimaginable, breaking barriers and changing families that have children with challenges. Watch this video to see how Gamburd created a solution for this family!