Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi … Nelson was stunned speechless when he turned slightly to the right, and over his right shoulder caught sight of Mama Cecelia Kadzamira, referred to by many as the mother of Malawi. She had come into the room unannounced with the sole intention of meeting Nelson. He had written a story recently published on the Malawi Project web site (www.malawiproject.org), in which he explained his story of pain and suffering week after week for four months after coming in contact with electric lines in Mponela. In spite of his suffering he expressed a high degree of optimism about his future. He detailed how the experience had made him a better person and changed him for the better, and Mama had read the inspiring story. Impressed by his attitude toward his unfortunate accident, and the positive approach he had toward his future, she expressed her desire to meet such a positive young man.
Nelson had no idea she was coming and when she entered the room with Merissa Scott and Dick and Suzi Stephens of the Malawi Project, he could hardly believe his eyes. The two of them talked for nearly an hour. Near the end of their conversation Nelson expressed his gratitude for her visit in this colorful expression, “If someone offered him a bag of gold bars I would not trade them for this minute,” meaning the time he could share his thoughts with Mama Kadzamira. In recent years Mama has turned her attention to helping the poor and the suffering especially in rural areas of Malawi.
To Suzi Stephens, Medical Director of the Malawi Project, she could express her delight in a simple statement, “This moment seeing the two of them has been one of the highest moments in my entire time in Malawi this year.”