ORADEA, Romania — The first person Darrell and Carolyn Weber met when they entered an artificial limb clinic here a year ago was a 30-year-old woman who had been an avid runner before a leg was amputated due to cancer.
She had a bright smile, said Sister Weber. She had been fitted with a metal leg and this was the first day she could walk without crutches. "I'll never forget her smile," she said.
Serving as humanitarian missionaries in Romania, Elder and Sister Weber visited the Theranova Clinic in November 2002. They found a modern facility designed for making prosthetics that was lacking in such simple basics as sandpaper. They also found technicians who were limited in their training.
During their visit they met Jaco du Plessis, a South African prosthetist, who started the clinic as part of a foundation organized to help orphaned and handicapped children in Romania. A project that began by making artifical limbs in his garage eventually grew into this foundation.
With assistance from Church Welfare Services, the Webers arranged for $14,000 worth of used prosthetics to be shipped to Romania. They also learned of Jason Jennings, a member in Rapid City, S.D., who manages a prosthetics and orthotics rehab facility.
After arranging his schedule, Brother Jennings left his practice October 2003, and with his wife, Demree, spent two weeks working in the clinic while instructing and training local technicians.
"They are behind in clinical knowledge and practical application," Brother Jennings said. "They can make a prosthesis, but they can't fit it well.
"One man had a leg carved from a log," he continued. "The leg is a tribute to Romanian ingenuity in a country where the national health service does not pay for prosthetic devices. They have big needs. They need clinical instruction and money to purchase materials," he said.
On one occasion Brother Jennings was in Oradea, the family of a lady paid for a crew from the clinic to come to their countryside home and stay overnight to fit a prosthetic.
"I have never fit a prosthesis in the courtyard of a country home and have chickens actually run across my feet during the fitting," said Brother Jennings. "Their hospitality was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of Romania. We couldn't eat all the food they prepared. Even though they live in a humble home, they prepared the best they had for us."
"I am afraid Mr. Jennings has only started to scratch the surface," said Jaco Du Plessis. "This visit has also shown us how much there is still to learn for our staff."