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My Son's Friend Richard [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-10-08  

Richard is a young friend of my son. When Richard broke his leg, years ago, my son helped to arrange for him to get the money he needed for treatment. Since then Richard has been incredibly loyal. He has a good heart. He was raised by his aunt but she has since died and we have more or less adopted him into our family, in our hearts if not in law.

I have decided not to talk here about my son’s situation and problems because of the difficulties involved. My son is being held in prison in a country where the central government has little control over the area where he is being held. It would not be helpful to him or anyone else to say more than that.

But Richard deserves a little recognition.

When my son became ill and was moved from the hospital to the local police station he gave Richard his phone and then disappeared. For over a year Richard was my only link to anyone or anything there and Richard himself had no idea where my son was.

Richard worked as a sort of runner carrying messages in a factory. I don’t know the exact situation but he lost that job and was, himself, desperately poor. But he never asked for money or help (at the time I myself was in a bad way and couldn’t have helped him anyway. I was surviving on three pancakes and a one slice of cheese grilled sandwich a day.)

Richard hunted all over the country at his own expense to find my son. He carried along his own snacks and slept where he could. Once he even slept in a church that was having an overnight wake.

Finally, over a year since he had vanished, through bribes and sheer determination and I don’t know what else, Richard found my son. He told me that when my son first saw him he wept so hard he couldn’t talk. He thought he had been abandoned. As he had.

Richard smuggled in a cellphone that is now my only link to my son.

I love Richard.

-

I have a little news on our non-profit. My partner has been working very hard on our website. It is still a work in progress but I thought y’all might like taking a look at it. Check it out.

www.p9foundation.com

I plan on posting weekly updates there but I haven’t started that yet. When I do I will probably continue to post here on the doings in Ghana but not as much, maybe.

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