It's Preslet!
Preslet is the boy who was badly burned by his father and has been sponsored by H2H to undergo life changing surgeries to release the tight skin under his neck and arms...allowing him to move his head & use his arms again. When I first met Preslet I was struck by his ability to forgive his father so quickly & his witty spirit, but it was heart breaking to see the severity of the burns and the way it had imprisioned him to his house. Haiti can be a ruthless place for people with disabilities or anything out of their "norm".
I returned to Haiti on December 30th so I could break in the New Year with the kids. My first day here I visited Preslet at his house & encouraged him to come to our New Years Eve service and start getting out of his house. He was reluctant at best but called me the next day to escort him to the service. He was almost completely covered when he arrived and wouldn't leave my side. As the night progressed I left him in the service to help the girls prepare the famous pumpkin soup. It was several hours later that I immerged from the kitchen to find Preslet outside the service hanging out with some boys from our home. He progressed from there to dancing & singing & it was almost 2am when he finally headed home! The change in him was astounding...and seems to be permanent. He now comes to H2H on a daily basis. He lifts weights with the older boys to prevent his skin from tightening up again and, as you can see in the photos, loves playing soccer again!
Preslet still has a long way to go in his recover but this new year has truly given him a new start!
