‘I’ll keep walking so Esther can grow tall’

At one meter in height and weighing just 11 kilograms, Esther is tiny for her age. She can only eat one fifth of what other children in her class can eat at mealtimes.

She also needs costly injections to treat her growth hormone deficiency, a treatment her protectors at the Holt Orphanage have struggled to fund while also caring for 40 other parentless kids.

Esther will need the growth-boosting injections until she is 12 years old to ensure she grows to the maximum possible height.

Without the treatment, Esther could not even reach 125 centimeters in height, which is as tall as her condition is ever likely to permit her to grow.

Lyons first met Esther before raising funds for her by walking the Gunsan marathon last May.

“The first time I saw Esther it was a bit of a shock, I didn’t quite realize what her conditions meant,” said the Canadian who has taught English in Korea for the past 11 years. “I had read about it online but when I saw her I was a bit taken aback. On the first visit it was difficult not to shed copious amounts of tears. She cannot eat solid food so she looks undernourished. Her body isn’t developed. She is tiny. She weighs almost nothing, has bad eyes and is very thin.”

Community fundraising surrounding Lyons’ Gunsan marathon walk last May raised 4.1 million won. Children at Lyons’ hagwon donated their candy money, and a local janitor gave 60,000 won in coins he swept up at a big public building over the course of a month. A doctor at Jeonbuk University Hospital walked around collecting cash in a piggy bank for a day. Another doctor, who had started his clinic ten years earlier, donated his 140,000 won first day’s earnings, which he had saved in an envelope for a decade in anticipation of such a worthy cause.

KBS1 charity TV show “Running Man” then featured Esther’s cause to raise another 5 million won.

“By raising money for Esther we are helping all the children at the orphanage as they don’t need to use so much of their funds to pay for her medication. The orphanage gets money from the government and other donors but it is never enough. The cost of treating Esther is very high and there are other children who need clothing, food and help as well,” Lyons added during a telephone interview with The Korea Herald.

He said in many ways she is like any other little girl: “She likes all the things that other 8-year-old children like. She likes the same TV programs and her favorite color is pink. When you look at her, apart from how thin he is, she is just like any other kid.”

And the hagwon teacher, who visits the little girl at least twice a month, said he was pleased to see their relationship warm over the twelve months he has known her.

“Now she will come and sit in my lap of her own accord, and she asks for me if I am not there. It is these kinds of breakthrough that you can’t put a price on.

“She cannot understand what I say when I speak in English, but I have told her that I will help her for as long as I possibly can.”

A murder mystery night organized by the expat community has already contributed 750,000 won towards this year’s fundraising efforts for Esther’s orphanage.

Although there is no official marathon organized, Lyons who cannot run because of a previous cartilage operation ― intends to start a 42 kilometer marathon course from Jeonju’s Sam Cheon Dong at 5 a.m. on Saturday.

A tent will be open near the starting line at Santa Monica restaurant all day for people to make donations. A team of supportive volunteers will also give out 4,000 fliers and collect donations around the Jeonju streets.

Around 15 friends are expected to join Lyons as he completes the difficult last 5 kilometers of the course.

And the walker has a special motivation for completing ― little Esther will be waiting for him at the finish line.

Anyone wishing to find out more or to join Lyons on the final 10 or 5 kilometers of his walk can call 063-223-5622. Those wishing to donate money to Esther and the other children at Holt orphanage can do so via Jeonbuk Bank 542-21-063059, account name Terry Lyons Orphan ParkEsther.

By Kirsty Taylor (kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)