In Zambia many children with disabilities live without access to the mobility equipment and support that they need. Diana, a vibrant and energetic young girl with spina bifida, was one of them. Because she had outgrown her wheelchair, Diana struggled to sit comfortably and couldn’t navigate her environment safely.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Doris – Diana’s Caregiver
I came to buy the first book by Joni. I must confess it shook me. ‘Lord, I hope you are not making me read this, because that’s what you’re preparing me for.’
Diana was born with a condition called spinal bifida. She was paralyzed from about the belly button down. My name is Doris. I’m an antie to Diana. She is very sweet. I get amazed with the way she’s just developed. She’s very eager to learn. People were predicting that she wouldn’t be able to do all of that because of the disability.
They were saying she wouldn’t go to school. We don’t know how long she’s going to be alive. So it’s been a joy to see her developing all of that.
Diana had a wheelchair, which she got a few years back, and because she’s been growing, she couldn’t sit comfortably any longer. It was sad to see the feet dragging, especially because she has no sense of feeling.
So she wouldn’t know whether she was hurting herself in the process or not. We were just hoping and praying that she could get another wheelchair.
Kaylee Jivan – Wheels For The World Volunteer
Diana was super special. She had a unique shape in her back, and that caused us to have to find a different solution. Besides a standard wheelchair for her. And so she was so patient with us as we cut out foam and tried a couple of different options for her.
The cushion that we made, the purpose of it is to take pressure off the skin in her back.
Doris
It was nice to see how measurements were taken on the spot.
Kaylee
Before we knew it, we had more people around us because of Diana’s bubbly personality, and one girl was around her age and her name was Chichi and they hit it off right away. So they were super fun together and everything for the rest of the day was Chichi and Diana.
We introduced her to these gospel bracelets as well. I only had to tell her once and she knew what every color meant and knew exactly why she was here, not only for a wheelchair, but to learn about the hope of Jesus Christ.
Doris
I’ve been trying to help her to learn as much as she can to be independent. The worry of her hurting herself because she had to run the other wheelchair. It’s a big relief. It was nice to see you, Diana. So happy, so happy, so free. I’m most grateful to the Lord for that experience that she’s had for him.
The first thing she noticed was that she was now able to reach the table biting play on the table.
Diana
I like helping out my auntie to cook.
Doris
She loves baking. I’ve told the I’m going to be your assistant because the stove is a bit too high. You just be telling me what to do. And she’s very excited about doing things like that. When Diana came along, my hope and my desire has always been to prepare her to meet the challenges of this world, Joni through all these years to this time, she’s still serving the Lord as a person with a disability.
If I get something from YouTube from her, it sort of challenges me and God is going to help me. This experience made me feel almost as if I’ve met her in person. Someone I knew only through a book. It’s almost like I’m touching her now, through Joni and Friends. Then it talks about doing things. She wants to be a doctor.
She wants to help people. I don’t discourage whatever dreams she has. I try to go along with it. I say, Lord, I’m going to hang on to Diana’s faith. You can do things through her. What I want is for her to have hope. The disability doesn’t make her any less human.
People Interviewed and their Titles
Doris – Diana’s Caregiver
Kaylee Jivan – Wheels For The World Volunteer
Recording Location
Zambia
Organization featured in this Story
Joni and Friends – www.joniandfriends.org
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