2006 PET Volunteers to Uzbekistan

This man is from Uzbekistan, which was a part of Russia during the war with Afghanistan some years ago. He lost both legs and “skate-boarded” along until he received his PET in April. PET volunteers, Ray and Shirley Truhn, from MI helped with the distribution and have many stories to tell. Hope Haven and Samaritan’s Purse facilitated the distribution of 90 PETs. The following boys were also recipients on that trip.

“….There was a combined total of about 550 wheelchairs and PETs (between 6 shipping containers).…. I need to tell you about Islombek, a 10 year old boy who has not been able to walk since he was two years old. He was born with an open area on his leg. After many attempts to close it up he got gangrene and although they saved the leg it will never work. As he has gotten older he has been getting more and more depressed and his parents have run out of ideas to help him. His depression was getting worse. He can't run or play with his friends and getting around at all has become such a chore for him and he has pretty much quit trying. When they brought him in it was not quite time for him to be worked with so he was set on a blue child PET Shirley and I had just finished assembling. He set on the PET for maybe half an hour and he kept pushing and pulling on the handles, working the brake, rocking it back and forth and looking it all over. When his time came, his mother wanted him to have a wheelchair because she thought it would grow with him and last longer. When they tried to take him off the PET, you could hear him crying all over the area. He wanted the PET. So we talked with his parents, told them about the PET and finally convinced Mom to let him try it out. When we told him to try driving the PET, he took off on it like it was made JUST for him. In a couple minutes he was zipping around the lot and down the walk and over the bridge over the canal and back and was so happy. His parents couldn't believe it. His mom talked to him several times and then each time he would go zipping way. He and that blue PET were not going to separate. His mother said she has not seen that much joy on his face since she can remember. His world just got a lot bigger and he was out exploring it. His life just opened up. After I got through going over the care and feeding of his new PET with the parents and their boy, he went out for one more ride before heading for home.

……Nodirjon, 16 years old, was born with a birth defect that has not let him walk. He was another person who was very happy to get his PET. Groves Retirement Community of Independence, Missouri, donated Nodirjon's PET through the Columbia PET Project…..

In each and every case, the people who were given a PET were very grateful and we were just flooded with gratitude from both the person getting the PET and also the caretakers." Ray & Shirley Truhn