12-year-old Jeremy first arrived at Wilma’s school in his mothers arms, unable to walk on his own due to Polio. Because of his disability, his father left the family, cutting all ties to Jeremy and his mother. Jeremy’s mom didn’t know what to do; she didn’t want to leave him, but she couldn’t take care of him on her own. So she decided to enroll Jeremy at the school so that she could take care of herself during the majority of the day.
Jeremy was dropped off every morning by his mother at 8am and stayed until 6pm, well after the school day ended, since his mother wasn’t able to pick him up. Because Jeremy couldn’t walk, Wilma with the help from some members from her church had no other option but to carry him to his home in their arms. Although the school provided an overall better environment, it was also embarrassing for Jeremy at times as he needed continual assistance with moving from room to room. Wilma paused to reflect, “It was very difficult. He had a lot of bathroom accidents. He would poop his pants and every time he’d come to the classroom, he’d have a bad smell with him. We started to pray every year for Jeremy.”
After three years of prayer, Jeremy started to receive healing. He began to walk, he began to go to the bathroom properly and he became a remarkable student. His mother couldn’t believe how much he’d grown and was overwhelmed at the sight of his improvement. Jeremy’s father even came back to see his son after years of separation. Grateful for his growth, Jeremy acknowledged the teachers saying, “I thank the teachers. I thank them for their patience.” Now on the way to being mentally and physically healthy, Jeremy has hope for a healthy life and reconciliation with his family.