Lucy, a 20 year old girl from Otabanadze
lost the ability to walk seven years ago after an unfortunate accident. Lucy along side classmates were carrying blocks for a teacher at school when she began having chest pains that lasted for three days. Despite the family seeking immediate medical care from a local clinic where medication was prescribed Lucy’s condition did not improve. On the fourth day following the accident she could no longer walk.

Although Lucy is hopeful about what future doctor consultations could potentially bring, she is grateful for the volunteers of St. Louis University for donating a wheelchair that has allowed her to go back to school. The students all supported in making her a ramp so she can easily access her tutors.

Despite the fact that Lucy’s condition has been very costly for her family, she remains in high spirits. Her friends still visit regularly & she gets great pleasure out of reading. When asked what her favorite type of book was her response , “Anything, I can get”. This is just one of a million qualities that makes Lucy special.

On July 29th, 2013 Lucy, her family and the referral team traveled to FOCOS (the Foundation for Orthopedics and Complex Spine), a private hospital in Accra and met with Dr. Muwuli. On this visit, X-Ray's of Lucy's spine were taken and confirmed that her injury was at the cervical-thoracic junction. This could be the cause of her paraplegia, as well as other motor control issues.