Life on a limb for Haitian survivors

ATHLETES from Haiti who lost limbs but survived the country’s devastating earthquake are again standing tall. In Haiti, losing a limb has historically been seen as a kind of punishment for that person or their family for something they must have done wrong, but players like Francois Mackendy are attempting to change perceptions of those with disabilities.

Mackendy has credited the side with helping change his life after undergoing a crude amputation following a building collapse.

He recalled: “They went and they found a knife, they found a saw and they began to do what they could to remove my leg so I could get out of that building. They were trying to cut and in the end I actually had to cut my leg myself. I thought my life was finished. But the love of the game brought him back to life. It’s helped me because now I’m a part of a family. My amputee soccer team, I’ve been with them now several weeks, and they’re like my family they care for me they pray for me so now I feel like I’m really beginning to have a life again.”