My name is Yilak Tsegaye. I was born and raised in Tej New Selassie, in Wello Province, North Ethiopia. My village of several thousand is 150 miles from the town of Lalibella, a long walk! I have a large family - 12 brothers and sisters.
My father was a farmer and owned a few sheep, goats and cows. He used oxen to plough his fields. My 7 brothers and I worked in the fields every day to help feed our family. We had no access to electricity and water; we used to fetch water from the river around our village. We slept on what we call “Medeb” (a traditional bed made out of mud and cow dung). Even now, the nearest electricity is hours away from my home. (Less than half of Ethiopians have electricity). Our house had 1 room that we all lived in together. It had mud walls and a grass roof. My mom cooked on a wood stove inside.
Living in a small village, I attended village school and managed to pass the 8th grade national exam. Passing to 9th grade was a great accomplishment, and I was so proud. But I was also very sad, because I can’t afford to go to high school. The nearest high school was located in Kunmesk town, a 12 hours walk from where we lived. My family could not afford for me to live outside my home, and there was no way my parents could get food to me.
I first noticed that my spine was crooked when I was 7 years old. My back was getting worse every month. So I decided to travel 543 miles to Addis Ababa. I walked for 7 hours, and then traveled by bus for 48 hours.
I arrived in Addis, Ababa when I was 17 years old. I had a brother who lived in Addis, so I stayed with him for a week. I left because he had a family and I didn’t want to be a burden. I decided to shine shoes, and put myself to school. I made about 5 birr a day (about 60 cents US) and went to a public school called Bole High school. I did everything that I could to survive and feed myself. I slept 5-6 hours a day. I worked early in the mornings before school and in the afternoon after school was over. I rented a small room to sleep and study in, paying 100 birr ($11) a month.
One day, a customer saw my twisted back and recommended me to find a doctor named Rick at Mother Teresa’s Mission.
I met Dr. Rick at Mother Teresa’s, and he diagnosed my deformity as scoliosis from polio. Months flew by, and before I knew it, I had a passport; I had a visa, and I flew for the first time to Korle-Bu Hospital in Accra, Ghana, and was getting prepped for surgery by Dr. Boachie’s FOCOS team. Here I was, a rural boy who grew up without electricity or running water, being operated on by the finest spine surgeons in the world!
The JDC Spine program covered all my expenses. Never would I have thought that my life would end up this way. I felt so blessed to have gotten this privilege while there were many like me who didn’t.
Dr. Rick’s generosity towards me didn’t stop there. When I returned to Addis after surgery, I didn’t have a place to sleep. I could not longer bend over and shine shoes. Dr. Rick arranged housing for me, and I was sponsored by Making the Grade to go to Admas University. I now have my bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance. I work in different travel agencies and construction companies in Addis as an accountant. I have a wonderful wife from Lalibella, and 2 beautiful sons.
Meeting Dr. Rick at Mother Teresa’s Mission completely changed my life. Without surgery, I would probably have stopped shoe shining, and returned to my village to farm with my father. I do not have enough words to thank Dr. Rick, JDC, and Making the Grade. They are responsible for my new and successful life.
