This fundraiser is all about Lawrence, son of Remy John a house guard / helper in Kampala, Uganda.

When Remy told me he had a son back in his village in Eastern Uganda who was very sick, I told him he should bring Lawrence to Kampala and we'd see if anything could be done.

I wasn't prepared for the terrible condition that Lawrence was in. He was, I think, 13 at the time

 It is very unclear what had happened to Lawrence ,with the story being blurred with tales of witchcraft ,local witch doctors, poor local treatment from "official" clinics and general jealousy from members of his village community of Lawrence's school achievements and intelligence (kids who stand out are often subjected to this in rural communities).

I believe Lawrence may have contracted cerebral malaria or some other parasitic infection.We shall probably never know. I arranged early on for MRI's, blood tests and had him checked over by a visiting consultant from Germany, who kindly donates his time to a specialised disability clinic for children here but it was all pretty inconclusive.

When he arrived at my house his condition was as follows...

Complete paralysis from upper waist down.

Gangrene and associated infections of both legs and feet most likely as a result of untreated secondary infections from pressure sores and rat bites which had been feeding on his toes as he slept. 

Distortion of his hips.

Severe necrosis and wasting of the bones and muscle tissue in both legs.

One leg had ballooned to three times it's normal size due to infection. 

Severe resultant depression and anxiety as a result of mental and physical trauma.

Fresh and historical scarring on legs from attempted treatment by local witch doctors. 

Anyway, long story short, now you have the background... After treating each problem in turn through the use of local clinics, trial and error, some common sense and a lot of patience, Lawrence is now, three years on, able to use a wheelchair and a walking frame I found. Mentally, he has improved considerably.

 We are on top of the pressure sores and infections and one leg has restored some mobility. He still cannot walk unaided and has not attended school since he fell sick. Expected amputations have been avoided so far. I managed to secure some funding for him to begin professional physiotherapy at a nearby private clinic. The funding was very small and would only cover the cost of 6 one hour sessions. The organisation that gave up the money only did so after months of pleading and they have failed to help any further, ignoring our calls.

 Anyway, I'm convinced Lawrence needs ongoing physio for at least a couple of years. One leg is still wasted and completely useless with no sensation to speak of. It may be it has to go but not before all options have been covered first.

So...Two years physio at 40000 shillings per session three times per week equals 3,840,000 shillings plus two years school fees at 200,000 per term. 3 terms per year equals 1,200,000 shillings. Total 5,040,000 shillings (/=)

At current exchange rate that's about $US 2032

What do you think? Can you help?

Please note that every penny of this will go directly to getting Lawrence the physiotherapy and helping towards his school fees and not the diabetes charity who are kindly supporting our efforts with their page.

All best

Jony Wardley