A boy in Kananga was electrocuted at a power station and suffered severe facial injuries. His community launched an IndieGoGo campaign to fund reconstructive surgeries, with most procedures already successful. The final surgeries aim to restore his ability to swallow and breathe normally.
He was playing in the city in Kananga. playing hide-and-seek with some of his friends, and he went into a little, a little power station that didn't have any security on it, no door. He touched something and got electrocuted.
When I saw his picture, I just knew we had to help him. So I decided right then that whatever we could do, we would do it, get it done. We had made a ski mask to cover the scarring and everything on the plane so people wouldn't stare at him. I just didn't want him to be scared. He was just— it was terrible.
He could very easily have been left for dead. This type of injury is usually lethal.
He's obviously very bright, and I think he's got tremendous potential.
Surely there's something that we can do for this little boy.
The good news is, with just a few surgeries, we'll be able to help him a lot.
He's a very, very tough little boy. You can't see it, realizing where he's been, where he's come, and what he faces every day. He's going to need to come back. The vast majority of the surgery has been performed successfully.
When he comes back, they're going to work on, on his cheek, and they're going to tuck the eye up so that it looks more natural. Even though he does not have an ear, he does have some hearing.
He will be able to swallow, and he will be able to breathe normally. There's a lot more that can be done for him and should be done for him, and he's almost there. We just, we need to get him through this last surgery, and it'll be amazing.
