It all faded away like smoke without a source, life as I knew it, will never be the same again.  The death of my parents shattered life for my siblings and me.  It was sudden, reality hit my young family, and the years ahead were a living hell. My name is Dr. Vicky Marie Deuboue, a wife and a mother of four kids.

I was born into a middle-class family, my dad, Albert Kemmo, and my mother Nguefack Marie Madeleine, worked very hard to provide for my siblings and me. We lived a simple but satisfying life. My mom died at age 38 and my dad at 49. I was nine years old when this happened. I was traumatized, the events leading to their passing made things worse. My mom’s death was due to the negligence and weak healthcare system of my country. In the moments leading to the untimely death of my mom, my father had rushed her to the hospital, while she was fighting to stay alive, but the doctors and nurses on duty refused to attend to her on time. Due to this negligence, my mom died shortly after delivering my little sister. My parents were a great inspiration to me, but like a reality check, it all ended too suddenly. Life as I knew it will never be the same again.  My siblings and I became orphans. This had great psychological effects on me. As an orphan, I went through countless hardships. I started suffering from severe panic attacks at the age of nine – from the day I saw my mother in the mortuary lifeless.  The panic attacks became worse after my dad also died. I suffered from severe depression and anxiety after the loss of both parents.  It was a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness as I was trapped in a country without good healthcare, clean water, good education, and unhealthy food. I always wanted to become a medical provider, so I could make tremendous contributions to human lives, especially to those who are orphans and underprivileged.

I did not want anyone to suffer what I suffered as a child. I was living a nightmare, an unending horror movie until one day, luckily, I was offered the opportunity to travel to the USA. This was a dream come through for me as I was finally able to pursue my dream of becoming a medical practitioner. Here in the United States of America, I was given the great opportunity to obtain my Doctorate degree affording me a great and inspiring life. At least I had a chance to know my parents, and to receive some care and basic education from them. What about those who never had the chance to meet their parents either because their parents passed away or they were abandoned at birth?

Based on my experience,  I understood that those who can really help us in life, are not only our blood relatives but also strangers.

I started sponsoring kids several years ago. Starting with the Unbound Organization, I got involved in the life of Frank from Kenya. He is nine years old and living in extreme poverty with his family in a rural area. Their house was built out of mud and clay. His mother used firewood to cook and given their extreme poverty, having a warm meal every day has always been a challenge. His elementary school was several kilometers away and he had to walk every day on foot. His journey to school was made hard by the early morning cold breeze and harsh heat of the afternoon. Sending a contribution every month helped take care of his needs on regular basis. Frank was not an orphan but among the least privileged. Living with his parents and other seven siblings. My contribution helps with his school fees, transportation, food, clothes, and health care needs.

At the moment I’m sponsoring a six-year-old boy from Honduras. He presents signs of autism but because of his family’s lack of means, he had not been properly diagnosed. He is attending elementary school and lives with his grandparents. Although he lives three minutes away from school he has difficulty affording school fees, food, clothes, and health care needs.  The family lives in a bare concrete house, with a roof made of old sheets of metal with an unfinished concrete floor. His grandmother uses a firewood stove made out of the mud. He helps in the house by carrying water from the river in a bucket on his head. That greatly helps his handicape grandmother. Sending them money monthly on a regular basis helps with their essential needs. That’s why I want us to contribute to orphans’ lives.  Let’s remember that we may be part of their dream come true. Let’s dream and realize together. I am who I am today because someone got to know my story and was willing to contribute not just to my education but also to my general life.

At least I had a chance to come to America and fulfill my professional dream. I was blessed to meet a man with a good heart who shared the same values as me and supports me in this journey. He accepted to stand by me unconditionally, thank you, my husband.