Ian’s Perfect Gift: Mobility Wrapped in the Gospel

By Joni and Friends|Published On: October 31, 2022|Categories: Wheels For The World|

Ian seated in his wheelchair with his mom on his left and a Joni and Friends volunteer to his right.

Four-year-old Ian from El Salvador was born prematurely. Lack of oxygen at birth caused his brain injury, leaving him with cerebral palsy. His mother Fatima recalls:

“When I saw him in the ICU, he had turned purple. He was not given enough oxygen. He stopped breathing.”

Living under the double weight of poverty and disability, Ian’s family grew discouraged and exhausted. Because of his disabilities Ian needs constant care. In addition to ongoing feeding, bathing, toileting, and other daily routines, Ian’s parents had to carry him wherever they went. They couldn’t afford a wheelchair for their son.

According to the World Health Organization “only one in ten people in need have access to assistive technology due to high costs and lack of awareness, availability, trained personnel, policy, and financing.”

For families living with disability in developing nations, the unmet need only increases—that means more than ninety percent of people who need mobility or other assistive technology have to do without.

Ian's mother holding him as multiple Joni and Friends volunteers try to place him in his new wheelchair.

The despairing cycle of disability and poverty could have trapped Ian’s family—but Christ stepped in through Joni and Friends.

At a Wheels for the World™ outreach in El Salvador, Ian received “The Perfect Gift”—a custom-fitted pediatric wheelchair and the Good News of Christ.

Our team of therapists expertly fit Ian’s pediatric wheelchair so it will meet his needs as he grows. Because of his new wheelchair Ian can now go to school. He can socialize with friends and pull up to the table for a family meal.

He can go to church and experience belonging in new ways.

Ian’s increased mobility and independence also give his parents more freedom; they no longer have to carry him everywhere they go.

“[The family’s] quality of living has increased, and my prayer is that Ian will know the Lord and see that this team of strangers came to love him the way Jesus loves him,” says our volunteer occupational therapist, Nicole.

Across the globe families like Ian’s need practical help and eternal hope. You can become part of the movement that delivers the life-changing Perfect Gift—mobility wrapped in the Gospel—to people with disabilities around the world.