Lithgow couple Carol and John Stevens are working hard to help their Filipino sponsor child walk on two legs.
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Thirteen-year-old Marlon lives in Payatas, one of the poorest areas in Manila and was born with deformities to his limbs.
“When I saw a little boy hopping around with only one leg and no arms, the mother in me saw how unfair it was that he did not have equal access to modern medical treatment,” Carol said.
“The physio in me was just amazed at how well he got around, and how resilient he must be to have survived in such poverty.”
The Stevens are hoping to have Marlon’s visa approved by the Australian Embassy in Manila to have him travel to Australia by around March next year.
They have received a great amount of help from Moira Kelly’s Creating Hope Foundation.
Mrs Kelly’s foundation brought the conjoined twins Trisha and Krishna from Bangladesh to be separated in Australia in 2009.
Dr Angus Gray, a paediatric surgeon at the Prince of Wales Children’s Hospital, along with his team have agreed to perform Marlon’s surgery for free.
Now the Stevens are seeking to raise money to pay for new prosthetic legs, which will cost between $10-20,000.
A fundraising concert for Marlon will be held on Saturday at 2pm at Lithgow Bible Church on Col Drewe Drive. The price of admission is $10.
You can also donate by visiting gofundme.com/marlons-prosthetic-limbs.
Read the full story of how Carol met Marlon at 60by60lifestyle.com/2017/04/02/after-5-months.