When Doctors took a look at this Elephant Boy They were Shocked by what They Saw- Touching Story
When doctors took a look at this elephant boy they were shocked by what they saw his name is Vincent okich and he was born in a small village called Peta he set up when he was five months old like every other child and crawled when the time was right when he was 18 months old and it was time for him to walk that was when there was a problem.
His parents noticed that he faced difficulties walking because his legs seemed bigger than they should be but they pushed back the thought because they were too poor to get him checked out at a clinic unfortunately the family didn’t have access to free healthcare as he Grew Older his legs got more swollen until he was barely able to crawl let alone walk he had to move by using his buttocks to Lurch.
forward at age 10 his legs got so huge that he earned the nickname Elephant Boy his mother and father were left with no choice but to carry him around after taking his bath each day they would dress him up in skirts or dresses and place him on a large blanket to carry him to a spot where he watched his friends play like any regular kid the boy desperately wished he could run around and simply kick a ball with the other boys from his village but as much as he wanted to just get up from where he was sitting and walk towards them his legs would not let him he just quietly Sat by himself each day and watched them with tears in his eyes .
Some of the kids in the village teased and taunted him they called him Elephant Boy and even discriminated against them Vincent was devastated his health condition prevented him from playing and running around with his friends besides the discomfort that came with having huge legs he felt awful that he also had to wear skirts and dresses because no shorts or trousers could fit he was the object of constant mockery due to his parents financial problems they were unable to get him proper health care and kept managing until Dr Isaac osir came to their rescue.
Dr ozar Who runs an organization called empowerment of disadvantaged Youth and children helped children from poor Villages access medical treatment Dr ozire had heard about a boy with elephant-like legs and had hurried over to peda to see for himself he thought they had exaggerated when they described the size of his legs but on getting there he couldn’t hide his surprise the legs were bigger than he had ever imagined they were almost four times the size of the boy’s body.
He hadn’t seen anything like it before he suspected that it was elephantiosis and knew something had to be done immediately after a few days of coming to check on the family to gain their trust he told the family he was going to help Winston get better Vincent’s father Tito opoya couldn’t believe that someone was going to help his son in a statement he made he shared how devastated Vincent had been it really upset him because he has to wear pink and the other kids tease him he is only small but his legs are really heavy and way more than he does it makes him unable to do things that his peers do.
He can’t live a normal life because his legs won’t allow him my boy is very young but he’s faced so many challenges already the parents and family were extremely grateful for Dr ozire’s help he drove Vincent to the comprehensive rehabilitation services in Hospital along entebbe Road where he was given preliminary treatment Dr osir had hoped that the surgeons at the hospital would be able to help but when they saw the size of the legs they were lost for words still they want to know what caused Vincent to have such gigantic legs they ordered different MRI scans to be carried out the scans were done at best a Diagnostic Center in Kampala from the scans the doctors first believed that Vincent was suffering from a complicated mix of a faulty lymphatic system elephantiosis and tissue deformity
they could also see that the swelling had affected Vincent’s bones which led to his hips being dislocated and ankles broken but they said nothing conclusive after the scans They carried out a biopsy because they were still not sure what caused the deformity the biopsy results suggested that Vincent might also be suffering from necrotizing facetus necrotizing facetus is a serious bacterial infection that destroys the tissue Under the Skin this disease occurs when bacteria enter the body through a break in the skin people like Vincent with a weakened immune system are a greater risk of developing this condition Dr ozar was worried that the doctors in Kampala were just guessing and didn’t have the proper resources to give a clear diagnosis the doctors in Kampala had told Dr ozar that they might have to amputate his whole leg to save his life due to the flesh-eating disease.
But he believed Vincent’s legs could be saved as well as his life he said the hospital now says it’s considering amputation of Vincent’s legs at the thigh I’m very worried about this because we keep hearing different diagnoses and it’s difficult to know what is correct all I want is for Winston to get a chance to live a normal life because that’s the least he deserves he shouldn’t have to suffer so much and I hope we can give him the life he deserves Vincent had gone through a lot for him to just lose his legs without getting a second opinion therefore Dr ozar reached out to doctors overseas to help check out Vincent’s condition and give a clear diagnosis and medical treatment also if possible we desperately need a British doctor or foreign medical expert who can offer advice about Vincent’s case the case is extremely complex and we’d like to find out if there is anything that can be done to save his legs .
Dr ozire said the doctor states that reaching out to foreign experts is like throwing a Hail Mary it is their last resort and he is putting all his hopes in this basket thankfully the UK medical team responded to Dr ozire’s cry for help and volunteered to help treat the boy isn’t that amazing a part of the medical team was flown to assess Vincent’s condition and start treatments before he was taken back to the UK their plan was to drain the excess fat out of the tissues before he could fly the turn of events excited Vincent and his parents and they really hoped the British doctors would help him take his first steps towards being able to use his legs sadly things were not meant to be on the 26th of December 2012 Winston oakidge lost the battle with the disease he passed away before he could get proper treatment.
Dr ozar mentioned that he succumbed to heart failure and blockages if only he had gotten to know Vincent earlier maybe he would have survived Vincent spent his very short life and pain and discomfort because he was born with an unfortunate condition he might have survived if he had been treated immediately after the swelling started.
His parents lack of finances also made his chances of survival very slim the lack of free basic health care was also a major factor contributing to his death his father said I miss him I will miss him so much my son was one of my best friends and I would never forget him I wish he could have lived longer but my wife and I have accepted that it wasn’t meant to be we also believed that our son is in a better place and I’m happy that he won’t suffer anymore.
I also want to thank Dr ozar he is a blessing to my family and we would always pray for him yes my son didn’t get the treatment but he gave us hope and he was good to us even though he didn’t have to be I’m glad Vincent was surrounded by people who loved him while he was still alive his health was a problem but at least he had his mom and dad who always took care of him and loved him unconditionally
