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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times-Advocate, 2002-11-27, Page 18By Scott Nixon TIMES-ADVOCATE STAFF BIDDULPH — Students at St. Patrick Catholic School recent- ly got a lesson in caring when Saskatoon writer Peter Eyvindson visited. Eyvindson appeared at the school Nov. 13, with his Haitian friend Soni Derazin, the inspi- ration for Eyvindson’s book, ‘Soni’s Mended Wings.’ Eyvindson met Soni four years ago when he was visiting Haiti to escape Canada’s cold winter. He then decided to tell Soni’s story, a story of tragedy, willpower and triumph. As Eyvindson explained, Soni was born a healthy baby. At age four, he and his father developed a fever, which left his father dead and Soni with cerebral palsy symptoms. The once- healthy boy was sud- denly unable to walk or talk. When Soni’s mom vis- ited him in the hospital and saw his illness, she believed he was pos- sessed by evil spirits and abandoned him at the hospital. She never visited her son again. Soni spent the next five years in a crib in an institution where the only care he received was two meals a day. Eyvindson said one of the workers in the institution dis- paragingly referred to the sick as “living pieces of furniture.” He said Soni could have spent the rest of his live in the institu- tion, but was lucky to be discovered and cared for by former street kids at the St. Joseph’s Home For Boys. They began visit- ing Soni and the other disabled children at the institution and first tried to get them to laugh by tickling their stomachs. They then took them out of their cribs to play outside. Eventually, Soni was able to take a few steps by himself and then started walking around the yard alone. Now at age 17, he can not only walk by himself, but speaks English, French, Spanish and Creole. Soni has a deep love for dancing and music and he performed a couple of dances for the St. Patrick students, who had already read ‘Soni’s Mended Wings’ and decorated butter- flies to symbolize Soni’s freedom. Eyvindson said Soni’s life resem- bles a butterfly’s because when he was born, he was able to crawl, like a caterpil- lar, but ended up con- fined in a cocoon because of his sickness. Because of the caring of the teens who found Soni in the institution, Soni is now free like a butterfly. Eyvindson said Soni’s story is “a wonderful story of kids caring for kids.” Eyvindson decided to write Soni’s story but encountered a few stumbling blocks. First he had to convince his illustrator to work on the book for free, which she did after see- ing the living conditions in Haiti. Then, Eyvindson, who had already published 14 children’s books, could- n’t find a publisher. He eventually found a printer who, impressed with the story, agreed to print the book at cost. As a result, for every $10 raised from a sale of ‘Soni’s Mended Wings,’ $9 goes to Haiti. So far, Eyvindson said $200,000 U.S. has been raised to build a new building, Wings of Hope, near Port-au- Prince, Haiti, where Soni now lives. The building includes physi- cal therapy equipment, a school room, dormito- ries, a kitchen and din- ing room, a living area, a computer room and play room. Eyvindson said the same building in Canada would be worth about $5 million. He told the St. Patrick students if they start by caring for the people they know, that can eventually bloom into changing the communi- ty, the country and the world into a better place. “If you care for one another, you can make a difference,” Eyvindson said. Soni’s health contin- ues to improve. Eyvindson said Soni still has to think when he moves, but he’s hard working and strong. Eyvindson told an amusing story about when he and Soni visit- ed a school and Soni beat all the members of the school’s football team in an arm wrestling competition. Eyvindson and Soni have been touring schools on and off for over three years. Soni said he misses home and doesn’t like Canada’s cold weather. He returned to Haiti Nov. 21. St. Patrick School will hold fund-raisers dur- ing Advent and Lent to donate to the cause in Haiti. To order a $10 copy of ‘Soni’s Mended Wings,’ write to Broken Wings Missions Inc., Box 51, Clavet, Sask., S0K 0Y0. Crossroads Wednesday, November 27, 2002 Exeter Times Advocate20 Soni Derazin does his butterfly dance for St. Patrick School students. St.Patrick students hear touching story from Haiti Peter Eyvindson,left,and Soni Derazin act out a story for students at St.Patrick Catholic School. Author Peter Eyvindson,left,stands with Soni Derazin,the inspiration for ‘Soni’s Mended Wings.’ The two visited St.Patrick Catholic School Nov.13. Photos by Scott Nixon