“ChildFund gave me my leg back”: Prossie’s Story

Reporting by Brenda Assimwe of ChildFund Uganda

Fifteen-year-old Prossie’s leg injury was hardly the first hardship in her life. Prossie grew up in Nwoya, Uganda, a region in the northern part of the country that was heavily affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army war, which left millions of people – including Prossie’s family – confined in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. After the camps dissolved, families tried to go back to their homes, but by that time many of the physical markers between properties had disappeared, and this became a contentious issue between tribes and families who wanted to reclaim their land. When Prossie was 10 years old, both of her parents died in a land dispute. 

Five years later, Prossie lives with her grandmother, Achan. When we visit them, Prossie is helping her grandmother with chores, carrying items from one hut to another. There is a handwashing station in front of one of the huts, and a jerrycan filled with water hangs from a small piece of wood inserted in the dry, scorched ground. In front of another hut, maize is sprawled on the ground to dry. 

Prossie and Achan bring chairs for us to sit in the shade under a tree while they rest on a mat. At first, Prossie is shy, looking at the ground and speaking in a barely audible voice. She often pokes her leg as she talks. But at the nudge of her grandmother, she speaks up and tells us her story. 

Prossie, 15, outside her home in Uganda.

“It was a typical day at my school,” Prossie says. “I had only moved here for one school term and was living with my uncle who lived near by the school. This was a very welcome change because I no longer had to walk the exhausting journey of 10 kilometers to and from school daily.

“We had been in a lunch break, done with the first half of the day. A boy had attacked me, and while I was trying to defend myself, he had kicked me in the leg.” 

Prossie felt an immediate sharp pain that continued throughout the day, causing her to limp as she walked home. The pain intensified as days went by, and after three days, her entire leg was swollen and she was in immense pain.

Her uncle took her to a nearby clinic, where they opened the swelling to release the pus that had accumulated and gave her some medicine. But the now open wound was growing. She was then taken to a hospital, where she was given more medication, and her uncle sent her to her grandmother’s house in hopes that she could help nurse Prossie back to health.

An image of Prossie during her leg injury, when she needed to use a walking stick to help her stand.

“Unfortunately, the wound was not healing, despite the medication I was taking,” Prossie says. “It was deepening instead, and the now exposed bone of my leg was turning green.”

At this point, neither Prossie’s uncle nor grandmother had enough income to be able to afford another hospital visit. The family didn’t know where to turn.

“My biggest fear was that my leg would be cut off,” Prossie says, “and without a leg I would never be able to return to school to complete my education. My dreams of staying in school so that I can learn how to speak English, to be a doctor and treat children like me, were fading.”

Prossie was found in critical condition by a community development facilitator (CDF) during a monitoring visit in mid-2019. She was unable to walk by herself because the growing wound on her leg had penetrated the skin, exposing the bones.

Prossie’s family had no money to hire a vehicle to take her to hospital, so the CDF alerted ChildFund’s local partner, Masindi Area Communities Federation (MACDEF), who helped to secure transportation. Prossie was rushed to Restoration Gateway Hospital, where X-rays revealed that she likely had bone tuberculosis. She was then referred to a surgical hospital that specializes in orthopedic problems.

“As we entered the car that picked me from home on our way to where I was going to get treatment, I felt hope that I would recover, and my dreams slowly started returning to me,” Prossie says.

 Prossie with her grandmother, Achan. 

ChildFund facilitated the transportation, costs of admission, treatment and rehabilitation of Prossie’s leg after the hospital confirmed a positive case of bone tuberculosis.

“The scar from the operation on my leg is healing and disappearing,” Prossie says, “and I can play with other children in the neighborhood. I hope that I can return to school when schools reopen, complete primary school and study further to become a doctor.”

Prossie’s leg has healed, but she remains on monitored medication to ensure a full recovery. ChildFund also hired a medical doctor from a nearby hospital to monitor her recovery, ensure she is taking her medication and provide regular reports.

“I thought I would lose my leg or die,” Prossie says. “ChildFund gave me my leg back.”

Prossie stands outside her home, finally pain-free and able to walk again.

Prossie’s story is certainly unique, but there are so many situations like hers where, in moments of near hopelessness, ChildFund is able to help a child get the health care they need. And we can only do this with your support. If you’re able, consider setting up a monthly gift today to help us continue to provide essentials like health care and education to kids who need help the most.