40 years on, Polio miracle boy survives again

E-MAIL THIS

PRINT THIS

MOST POPULAR

PDF VERSION

TXT version

Tommy Mandiangu was born at Sona Bata Hospital near Kinshasa, 52 years ago. At birth, Tommy went into a deep coma that lasted 2 months where Dr. Toutre gave up on him and requested his mother to forget about baby Tommy and concentrate on her other 5 children she already had.

This is where Tommy got his name “Miracle Baby”. He woke out of comma and although he was lagging behind in many things, he looked like a normal child, improving and responding to his environment with great effort.

Nobody knew that there was a greater challenge for Tommy ahead. At 7, he was hit by what would change his life forever. Tommy got bed ridden with Polio and within months, he could not stand on his feet. Tommy became four legged, crawling like a baby.

All treatments failed and one day he said to his mother, mummy, could you please take me to the woman I heard you saying that she cured all sorts of diseases? Probably she can help me. His mother responded positively and took her to the woman but as poor as they were at home, they could not afford treatment.

Mama Maleu who lived about 100 km from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital accepted to take care of little Tommy without pay after a long explanation and plead from Tommy’s mother.

During boys football matches, Tommy who was a great fan would sit behind the goal poast at local ground and one day as he watched a match as usual, the ball went past him and it took a long time before someone could fetch it. He thought he could run and fetch the ball himself. But no, he thought, this is not possible. But before the end of the match, another ball flew past him and Tommy found himself standing on his two feet and struggling to run after the ball, raising a roar from the pitch.

Nobody believed he could ever walk again but from this day on, Tommy became unstoppable. News spread very quickly to his mother in Kinshasa and within a two months, he joined back his family. He later became a footballer himself.

In 2001, Tommy who now lived in Antwerp (Belgium) got another rendezvous with death. He had a bypass heart operation which he survived by inches. Dr. Kauwlaere of Middelheim hospital where he was operated said that God had a mission with Tommy.

Doctors said he may never be able to walk again.
3 years later in 2004, Tommy got involved in an accident that saw yet another test in his faith. His vertebrates L3, L4 and L5 were dislocated, paralyzing his legs and leaving him with unbearable pain. Because of nerve concentration on this area of the body, the doctors decided not to operate and rectify this problem but instead, opted for infiltration, kinestherapy and pains stillers. It didn’t work.

After 42 days in hospital and a lot of deliberation, the doctors decided to take the risk of operation. He was operated on 28th January 2005 after being informed by the doctors that he may never be able to walk again, ever.

The Neuro Surgeon told him the day after the operation that she had done her work, now it was up to Tommy’s God to do the rest.