Born in a small, remote village in Uganda, Petero Byatakonda entered the world with a rare collection of facial and other physical abnormalities known as Crouzon’s Syndrome. For thirteen years, Petero was beaten and shunned
by other children in his village. His craniofacial abnormality was so severe that his physical appearance was very different from other children. Most of his community thought his family should lock him away from view – they even thought he might be cursed.

Petero’s parents would not think of giving up on Petero and had been searching for help since his birth. They went to a local healer for help. The traditional healer sacrificed two hens and anointed Petero’s malformed head with the blood of the fowl. He pronounced Petero cured; he only had to wait a year for the cure to take effect. When the year passed, Petero’s head and face had worsened and he was almost blind. Another traditional healer called Petero a “bad omen.” His parents were heartbroken.

Their faith was renewed when they discovered that acquaintances in a neighboring village had a daughter who worked in a small charity hospital in their region. She introduced the Byatakondas to an English physician, Dr. Hodges, who put Petero in touch with Dr. Kenneth Salyer in Dallas. Planning began and Petero arrived in January 2006 for surgery, accompanied by an English-speaking guardian, Immaculate, a social worker from the Ugandan hospital.

After several surgeries, Petero has vision in one eye, and his skull has been reshaped to relieve the pressure on his brain and optic nerve. “Petero looks like his father now,” said Immaculate.

Dr. Salyer, his wife, Luci, and WCF Executive Director, Sue Blackwood, accompanied Petero home to Uganda in August.. It was an amazing journey for this young boy and a heartwarming experience to see the child delivered back to his parents, two brothers, and villagers who welcomed him for the first time in his life.