CONCY

I met Concy when I was walking with David to St Jude’s Orphanage. I knew that school had started for most kids a couple of days ago, so I asked her why she was not in school on this particular day. I was startled by her answer, and decided to make a blog entry especially for Concy.

Concy sells a pig every once in awhile for her medicine.

Concy is a 17 year old young lady. She is very small for her age. Concy is attending Graceland Secondary School, Level 4. Concy has sickle cell anemia, a genetic bone disease that causes extreme pain in her bones and body, and often causes growth problems. Her pain is controlled through medication and diet, but there is no cure for it. Graceland does not like any of their students to be sick with anything, for they fear infection of the other children, even though sickle cell anemia can never infect others like that; it is something you are born with genetically. She showed us the very large scar on her thigh from one of her surgeries. Because she has such occasional bouts of pain at the school, and the school has no means of transporting her to the hospital, Concy is finding her life difficult. But she is a survivor and has every intention of graduating from Graceland in two years and would like to move on to college.

I asked Concy who was paying her school fees? She is living with her brother as both parents are dead. She informed me that she paid her own fees. She sells broiler hens for her school fees and she sells pigs to pay for her very expensive medicine that relieves her pain. I asked her to show me her little farm, and indeed she did. I was very moved by her hard work and her extreme desire to attend school. She showed me her chickens, which were just a few now, as she had just taken them to the market to sell in order to pay her term two fees. Her pigs were healthy and fat. She showed me the medicine that she had to take twice a day. I was very touched by her whole story. How many of us can overcome such problems and achieve independence like Concy?

Here is a 17 year old young lady who has to take care of herself, and she found a way to do it without depending on anybody else to support her. She will go far in this life; she is already a success. She is an amazing girl. One of my very best friends in Hawaii is going to send $50 to go toward some of Concy’s school fees for term three without Concy even asking for any help at all! What a surprise it will be for Concy when she sees how far $50 US dollars will go in making a dent in her school fees (which are about $450/year)! This is what life is about; giving to others in need.