From Tears to Dreams of a Hopeful Future
For the past six years as we have been treating children with developmental disabilities in Pyongyang, we can testify that our treatment room is often filled with the constant cries of children with cerebral palsy, that is the cries of young children fearful of treatment, the cries of frustrated children worn out by their inability to control the movement of their bodies. Exhausted from their efforts to loosen their spastic muscles and unable to bear the physical strain, they cry out to their mothers and caretakers.
On one such day we heard the piercing cry of a nine year-old patient, Il-Song. “I am not ready to give up,” he declared. “I need to get better so that I can show my father how I have improved when I return home. I will not go!” he emphatically cried.
Il-Song cried out in desperation to his mother whose eyes were full of defeat. The two of them left their hometown from a distant province over two years ago in order to fully invest in Il-Song’s long-term treatment in Pyongyang. Overcome with doubt and frustration over the slow improvement of Il-Song’s condition, his mother contemplated about whether to go back home or to keep fighting for restoration. Tears swelled up in her eyes over their predicament as she listened to Il-Song’s proclamation.
We will never forget the first day that we met Il-Song. At six years of age, Il-Song had traveled far from the northern region of North Korea after hearing about the launch of Pyongyang Spine Rehabilitation Center’s (PYSRC) treatment for children with cerebral palsy. Upon arriving in Pyongyang, Il-Song struggled to lift himself up and stand on his own when he first stepped foot into our treatment room.
Two and a half years later, he is now able to stand on his own and even walk. Not only has he been able to receive physical therapy but also educational therapy with the PYSRC’s treatment program. We have discovered Il-Song’s incredible ear for music. He can repeat any song he hears, verbatim, according to the exact key and notes because despite not having been taught how to read music, he has perfect pitch.
Just as Il-Song has grown both physically and developmentally, his dreams have grown as well. In addition to music, Il-Song has an ear for foreign languages. Whenever we ask him what his dream is, he responds enthusiastically, “I want to become a diplomat and travel all around the world!”
Il-Song learning English through Educational Therapy in the Pyongyang Medical School Hospital
Today, for the sake of his seemingly impossible dream, Il-Song continues to diligently undergo difficult physical and occupational therapy for the development of his fine motor skills, visual coordination, and function. While receiving individualized treatment and therapy for his conditions, Il-Song has discovered his newfound talents and gifting in language and music .
A strict medical or surgical approach to treating children with developmental disabilities is insufficient. In addition to medical treatment, children like Il-Song need long-term, holistic rehabilitation to help them grow and become participating members of society. Therefore, Ignis Community’s focus has been to provide a diverse array of therapies for children with developmental disabilities in the DPRK.
As we wait for our PYSRC’s construction and furnishing to be completed, we can see Il-Song’s mother secretly wiping away her tears. She worries that Il-Song’s dream may be impossible to achieve. For Il-Song, his mother, and other families like theirs, Ignis Community aims to furnish the PYSRC to full-capacity and operation by the summer of next year in 2020.
But our dreams don’t stop there. Our hope is to establish PYSRC’s Pediatric Rehabilitation program in every province and every neighborhood in North Korea. We want to wipe away the tears of children with developmental disabilities in North Korea and replace them with dreams of a hopeful future.
We desire to see Il-Song return to his home city and be able to greet his father with pride. Someday, not too long from now, we expect that he will not only be able to take his place in society but that he will also succeed as the first North Korean diplomat with special needs. For through adequate and appropriate treatment and therapy, life for children with cerebral palsy can be full of hope and a bright future, even in North Korea.