Born: 1991.       Died: 2019
 
Lazarus was probably born in the beginning of the nineties. In 2001 Lazarus came from the mental hospital in Accra to the Hand in Hand community. At that time, he was in a bad shape. He was emaciated, did not talk or make eye-contact and was sitting all day long by himself, digging his fingers into the soil. That was the only contact he seemed to be able to make, touching soil. He has always had an awkward way of walking whereby he seems to fall forwards all the time. Lazarus still is a quiet boy and he still spends much time by himself, but not all the time anymore! He has received a lot of special attention from his present caregiver and from various volunteers and it has started to show. Lazarus has started to enjoy the mealtimes and he is willing to eat, even eat with gusto, as long as he keeps receiving the attention from ‘his special women’. Lazarus never made a sound. That is to say up till the beginning of 2006. Then one day a piercing cry was heard. It was over before it had begun but it was a loud cry and it came from the mouth of Lazarus, much to his own surprise probably! We now call it his ‘primal cry’ which apparently can be heard all the way in the surrounding hills. What feeling he expresses with the cry may be guessed, for all we know he simply shows that he exists! So with this cry Lazarus welcomed himself into the land of the living! But this year he has developed another sound, he now at times roars like a lion, more powerful and more earthly than his early screaming. Plus he is now able to make eye-contact and keep locked into someone else’s eyes for a long time. He then looks surprised as if he cannot believe what beautiful things he sees! Now he does not receive much extra food anymore, as he has become fat like a young chief. So, over the last two years a miracle has happened, Lazarus has resurrected!
 
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