Thinking was born on October 10, 2002, in the remote farming village of Gbarngasiaquelleh, located in northern Bong County, Liberia.

Due to a ‘probable’ neurological condition, Thinking has never had use of her legs from the knees down. She was born during a very difficult time period in her county’s history, having been born in year eleven of what ended up being a devastating thirteen-year civil war. While the war may not have caused her medical affliction, it certainly has impacted the first fourteen and one-half years of her life.

With no electricity, running water, or nearby medical clinics/hospitals, Thinking’s birth came under less than ideal circumstances; probably aided by the village’s elder-women. With the war raging, the people of Liberia, especially in the rural villages, had virtually no financial means to travel, and thus to seek medical treatment. As a result, Thinking was forced to adapt to her circumstances as she grew. Which meant in order to become a contributing part of her family/village unit, she had to carry out the same tasks as her able-bodied peers. Thinking learned to walk on her knees to complete such tasks as ‘fetching’ water, gathering fire wood for cooking, thrashing rice, ‘walking’ to school, when she could attend, etc. Our good friend Harrison Kpartipa, who grew up in the adjacent village of Gboata, stated ‘children born in Liberia with a handicap are often treated as outcasts due to their inability to carry their own weight’.

While on a mission trip to Gboata in the spring of 2015, Harrison was introduced to Thinking, with the question asked of him, “Is there a way someone in the United States can help Thinking?” Upon his return to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he currently resides, as an eight year US citizen, Harrison approached the mission support committee of his church, Trinity Lutheran, Cedar Rapids. Harrison asked the question how could they assist Thinking. At first, the conversation centered around mobility devices, such as crutches, wheel chairs, or a PET tricycle. Then one of the committee members spoke up and asked the group to think outside the small box they were concentrating on and suggested they contact the Shriner’s Hospital in the Twin Cities, to inquire whether the Shriner’s would accept Thinking to be evaluated and then offer a course of treatment.

In January 2017, we received news from the Shriner’s Hospital that they would accept Thinking as an international patient. That set the wheels in motion to secure Thinking’s birth certificate (no small feat), to apply for a passport and VISA, and lastly, obtain notarized POA and guardianship documents, as Thinking’s parents do not have the means to accompany her for this year long expected medical course of treatment. At the time this story is being written, all of these documents are in transit to Cedar Rapids.

Upon receipt of the afore-mentioned documents, we will be in a position to begin making travel arrangements to bring Thinking to Cedar Rapids. These arrangements will include having Harrison fly to Liberia to escort Thinking back to the USA. At the same time, with these documents in hand, we will be able to schedule Thinking’s preliminary consultation evaluation with the Shriner’s Hospital. During the time span from when Thinking arrives in Cedar Rapids, until she is admitted to the Shriner’s Hospital, we intend to immerse her into ‘life in the USA’. This will include enrolling her into ESL classes, teaching her basic (to us) life skills, such as NEVER bring electrical devises near water, how to flush a stool, cook on a gas/electric stove, operate a micro-wave oven, turn a light switch on, how and when to make a call to 911, etc. Remember, this is a young lady coming from the rain forest of remote Africa, that recently lived through the horrors of the 2015 Ebola crisis! Try to imagine the world she will be leaving, then think about the world she will be entering.

One of Thinking’s first medical reviews, in her life, was made in early 2016, where she was reported to be extremely malnourished, but otherwise to be in relatively good health. Presently, Thinking is living with an aunt in Monrovia, where because of financial aid given by our committee, she is being fed a western diet to improve her nutritional status and also to allow her to gain weight and strength for her medical treatment that lies ahead. During the 2016 medical assessment, made by a Doctor in Monrovia, it was mentioned a possible course of treatment may include bilateral amputation, followed by rehabilitation and the fitting of prosthetic legs. The ultimate decision however will be made by Thinking’s medical team, at the Shriner’s Hospital, once she’s been evaluated.