For this week's Mission Moment Monday, I want to share the beautiful story of a 6-year old boy in El Salvador named Marcos.

St. Dominic Church has been involved with MedWish for many years, taking supplies with them on international mission trips. One of their medical teams met Marcos in April 2022. Marcos has Spina Bifida and lives in a very remote area in the municipality of Chiltiupan, El Salvador. Until now, has crawled on the ground by moving on his hips, with his legs falling behind him. He didn't have a wheelchair. Due to his condition, he was unable to start kindergarten last year.

After meeting Marcos, their team began exploring how they could get him a pediatric wheelchair and came to MedWish for help. We had a wheelchair for them and on a very recent trip, one of their mission trip volunteers sat in the chair so they could get it on the plane, through customs, and to Marcos. The team reported that Marcos immediately took to the chair and began maneuvering around his small home. St. Dominic is now exploring how they can pour a large concrete pad adjacent to Marcos' home so he can move and enjoy the fresh air. Marcos lives about 15 minutes away from the closest school.  Although it won't be easy for his family to get him there, the chair opens the possibility of Marcos attending school.

Marcos' family shared the video below. In it you can hear that he has named his chair, “McQueen” after the Disney Cars character Lightning McQueen.  You can also hear Marcos say, “Gracias por la silla - Thank you for the Chair."

This is a beautiful example of how one piece of equipment can truly change someone's life. Thank you for helping make stories like these possible!