There are some patients that hit a little closer to home than
others. Patients that remind us of our own journey. For me, Clerette was
one of those patients. I’ve shared before how others investing in my
life, literally saved me. Clerette was also saved by strangers who
invested in her life. Here is her remarkable story as I share it for the
Mercy Ships markets:
At the age of four, she was struck by a deadly flesh-eating
bacteria called noma. The relentless disease largely affects young
children. In Clerette’s case, it began as a small abscess in her gum.
Within days, a large chunk of her left face was gone.
Nearly 90 percent of all children afflicted with noma do not
survive. Those that do – like Clerette – are left horribly disfigured.
When people saw Clerette, they didn’t see a cute little girl with
braids. They only saw the massive hole on the left side of her face.
The results were devastating. Her father abandoned her. Her
mother remarried. Her stepfather left them because he could not tolerate
the insults and abuses hurled their way. Clerette’s mother believed
that her daughter was cursed, so she stopped caring for her. Clerette
was wasting away into physical, spiritual and emotional nothingness.
And
at the moment of seemingly impenetrable hopelessness, a man named Zara
and his wife came into Clerette’s life. They didn’t see the unsightly
hole. They didn’t see a cursed child. They saw beauty amidst the ashes.
Zara and his wife loved Clerette as if she were their own child. They prayed that God would send a cure for her. Zara feared he had missed the one opportunity to provide Clerette with healing. In 1996 the Mercy Ships vessel, Anastasis, was docked in Madagascar. By the time Zara convinced Clerette’s mother to allow Clerette to be seen by the doctors, it was too late – all the appointments were filled. He asked God to provide a miracle.
Almost on cue, Zara saw two Anastasis crew members walking the beach.
Clinging to the last bit of hope, Zara convinced the crew members to
allow him to bring Clerette to the dock. Then he convinced Dr. Gary
Parker, maxillofacial surgeon, to add Clerette to the already full
surgery schedule. Upon hearing that Clerette would have surgery, Zara
burst into tears of joy. Years of contempt and ridicule were washed away
by mercy and compassion.
Over 18 years later, that same little girl – now a young woman,
whole and happy – would once again stand in front of Dr. Gary. He
performed a revision to the reconstruction he had done in 1996. And
Clerette was again reminded of what her “adoptive parents” had seen in
her so many years earlier . . .
“You have reminded that I am beautiful. I feel beautiful again,” she said.
On this Easter Sunday, Clerette is a beautiful reminder that:
“You make beautiful things out of the dust.” – Gungor
No comments:
Post a Comment