Like many of the children, Carl’s history is a little murky. The best guess is that he was around a month old when he was found, in a box, at the gate of the Zanmi Beni orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets, a small town northeast of Port-au-Prince.
No one knows who left him, who his parents are or whether he has siblings. What’s clear is that his mother was pregnant during the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake and gave birth in sometime in the weeks following. It is impossible to know her circumstances at the time, or whether any of it affected Carl’s health. What is known is that Carl had some kind of physical impairment. His feet were curved inward and his ankles knees and hips did not move.
Despite this Carl managed kept up with the other children. As the others learned to walk and run, Carl figured out how to get around using his arms and pulling his legs behind, and by scooting on his bum.
When is came time to start kindergarten however, Carl was left behind. There are no sidewalks in Haiti, much less wheelchair ramps for school buses. So if you’re unable to walk, like Carl, you aren’t going to get far. In fact almost all disabled Haitians do not attend school, and many do not have access to even the most basic health and therapeutic care.
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Every morning, Carl Pierre cried as he watched the other children march out to the bus and head off to school. He wished he could join them. If only he was more mobile.
In 2014, just after Carl turned 4 years old, he traveled to Canada to be examined by the excellent orthopedic surgical staff at the Shriners Hospital for Children. In Montreal Carl was diagnosed with a muscular skeletal condition called here arthrogyrposis. In Carl’s case this meant his hips knees and ankles were fused and he lacked muscle mass in his legs.
While in Canada Carl attended school, learned to swim, played soccer, and participated in a sledge hockey league.
26 months after his arrival and Carl was upright, running and playing on his crutches. He returned to Zanmi Beni in July 2016, and very quickly found he place with the other children. Carl is now a second grade student, and he would like to be a doctor when he grows up. He travels to Canada yearly for check ups at Shriners and to see his many friends and extended family members.
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