Oct 31, 2022 | Corey Cruickshank | 707 views
Introducing Our "#1 Draft Pick"
Our 17 Wolves decided to add a ”#1 Draft Pick" to our team. The #1 Draft Pick (formally 18th Man Project) is a charity that serves children with surgical needs in Uganda.
Our young Wolves have committed to sponsor a 10 year old boy, named Elijah, who was born with TWO clubfeet. This initiative was organized through One4Another (https://one4anotherintl.ca/1-draftpick/).
Elijah lives with both parents and 6 siblings in a village about 3 hours from the hospital. They depend on subsistence living to survive and do not have funds for transportation let alone medical bills. Our team is offering a life-changing opportunity to this boy so that he can walk and run like other kids.
Many people ask why there are so many kids in Uganda with clubfeet but the prevalence of babies born with clubfeet is the same in Uganda as it is in Canada (1:1000). The difference is that babies here are treated as soon as they are born through castings and braces so that they have corrected feet before they are able to walk. They can go on to play in the NFL (Troy Aikman) or play pro golf (Jon Rahm). Many kids in Uganda do not have access to health care and are left to live with a disability that could have been prevented.
Once the child gets older, if not treated, the ankle and foot bones become rigid in their deformity which is why Elijah requires an operation to be able to correct the position of his feet. Clubfoot causes the foot to turn inward and roll over so that the child walks on what is essentially the outside and top of the foot. This leads to a life of physical disability and social exclusion. This is also why being a part of our team is so good for this boy because it's not just for his feet but it is also the experience of belonging to a group.
Welcome to the team, Elijah!
