hen Bruce Sargent of Caribou traveled to Nigeria last May, he only expected to be there for a few weeks.  Though Bruce owns Sargent Trucking in Mars Hill, he had decided to take on a new venture, along with his partners, to mine zinc in this remote part of the world.  After being in Nigeria long enough to get through the governmental red tape blocking equipment transport, he realized that his trip would have to be extended indefinitely to help with production.

     By September, Bruce's wife Sherry was anxious to see him.  Though her planned trip to Nigeria to meet him was postponed due to the terrorist attacks, she rescheduled and was reunited with her husband at the end of October.   Bruce still had to work and Sherry was eager to learn more about the area.  She decided to visit a local Motherless Baby Shelter.  She adored babies, and realized that she could go and play with the children while helping out a little.

     Sherry was shocked by what she saw upon entering the dark cement building that was the shelter.  She was stricken by the tiny faces of babies dominating the place.  The babies had each lost their mother in childbirth and had been left there by their fathers until they were old enough to walk.

     Sherry saw infants and pre-toddlers lying around on the cement floors, some on thin straw blankets.  They had no diapers, only little shirts.  If a child used the bathroom, they were simply picked up by the arm, wiped under, and laid back on the cleaned cement.  Many of the children did not even have sheets on their mattresses at night.

     Sherry returned to the shelter each day after that, and each day she cried for the children.  They were innocent babies who had no idea that they had no mother, no real love; infants who knew no other image but the cement walls which surrounded them.  Some were obviously sick and dying from lack of nutrition and lack of human affection.  Though Sherry loved them all, one little boy particularly captured her heart - one little boy name Ifeanyi.

     Ifeanyi was two-and-a-half years old, yet, he still could not walk and therefore hadn't been reclaimed by his father.  Nigerian men must work hard for little wages which equal about a dollar a day in America.  Ifeanyi's father was unable to care for the little boy who was not developing fast enough in the lifeless environment of the shelter.  Ifeanyi's legs and arms were mere bones and skin, and his tiny ribs showed through his shirt.  He weighed only fifteen pounds.

     At first Sherry worried that the child had been abused.  Bruises on his body and bumps on his head gave fuel to her fears.  Over time she learned that Ifeanyi and the other children were not abused, only neglected.  The girls taking care of the babies did their best, but there were only three of them taking care of the twenty-five infants, and financial resources were extremely limited.

     Not only could Ifeanyi not walk or stand, but he made little noise at all.  But there was something very special about the little boy.  Sherry could see that the child was failing fast and had given up on life, but she also saw his potential.  She fell in love with him the first time she held him.  As he grew attached to Sherry, he would smile at her, lighting up the entire shelter. The workers told Sherry that Ifeanyi would listen for her car to arrive and watch the door intently to see if it were her.  If it was, he would drag himself as quickly as possible to see her, blessing her with a delightful grin.  If not Sherry, he'd lie back down and wait.

     As Sherry grew closer to the boy and saw how desperately he needed help, she took matters into her own hands, deciding that something must be done.  She took Ifeanyi to a doctor to determine the cause of his lack of development.  The doctor's diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy.  Immediately Sherry started making arrangements to obtain a Medical Visa which would allow her to bring Ifeanyi back to the U.S.A where he could receive adequate medical attention.

     Sherry first had to meet with Ifeanyi's father.  She and the shelter director went to the rice mill in the local village where he worked and spoke with him.  He was very willing to allow his son to travel to America and receive medical attention.  Next came legal issues and paperwork.  Sherry unfortunately had to return home on December 4 when her Visa expired.  Bruce followed soon thereafter to be home for the holidays.  The earliest date that the Sargents could get the Medical Visa was January 11, so they left together on January 6 to get Ifeanyi and bring him to his new home in America.

     Bruce and Sherry returned home with Ifeanyi on January 13.  Family members and friends were immediately enchanted with him, welcoming him as one of their own.  Life suddenly became much different for the little boy who had never seen a toy and did not know how to play.  Yet over the few weeks that he has been a part of the Sargent family, he has had major breakthroughs.  With the constant love and affection given him by Sherry and Bruce, Ifeanyi has begun to wake up smiling, ready to be taken into the arms of one who wants him.  He is fascinated with toys, studying them, learning and playing.  He has fallen in love with the big purple dinosaur Barney and adores cookies!

     Upon arriving home, Sherry quickly took Ifeanyi to see Dr. Fournier at TAMC.  A multiple of tests have been promising.  Ifeanyi's head is healing of its bumps and he has gained a notable amount of weight.  The best news is that it looks as if he does not have Cerebral Palsy after all, he was simply extremely malnourished.  Already the child who could not even crawl is standing.  A little boy who made no sound is now making lots of noise!

     Sherry and her husband are now working on adopting Ifeanyi.  Ifeanyi's father in Nigeria has expressed his desire for the Sargents to adopt him, making the process hopefully go smoothly.  Sherry is more than anxious for Ifeanyi to spend a lifetime with her and her family.  It's easy to see why she is so enamored of the boy.  Ifeanyi easily steals the hearts of all who meet him with his enchanting smile and big innocent eyes.

     Though the Sargents have no plans of adopting more children in the future, Sherry says she will continue to do all she can to help the Nigerian children in the shelter.  She hasn't seen the last of those motherless babies whose images have been engraved on her heart.  She shudders to think what may have happened to Ifeanyi if she hadn't found him.  Children as young as ten or eleven, who are handicapped or deformed in anyway, are sat in the streets, left to beg for money.  If left in the shelter, Ifeanyi may never have learned to walk or talk, and thus been determined mentally retarded and put in what Nigerians call a 'crazy house.'  This would have been an unimaginable fate.

Thank you to Shelly Esancy of Fort Fairfield for bringing this heart-warming story to our attention.