As the world marks the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday, December 3, one story stands out, a reminder of resilience, unrealised potential, and the quiet strength of a child shaped by circumstances far beyond his control.
Sixteen years ago, on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, a baby boy named Richmond Kuzor was born at the Ho Teaching Hospital to a young couple, a taxi driver and an unemployed mother.
Richmond grew into a bubbly, cheerful child. His bright smile, full cheeks, and smooth dark skin made him a neighbourhood favourite in RTC, a well-known suburb in Ho.
But at just two years old, his life took a devastating turn. Domestic conflict between his parents escalated into a tragic incident that left him paralysed.
After the couple separated, Richmond was shuttled between homes, first to his mother, then back to his father, and later to Awudome Anyirawase to live with his grandmother.
On Wednesday, September 8, 2011, he celebrated his second birthday there, surrounded by family and neighbourhood children.
Two days later, on Saturday, September 10, tragedy struck again. Awudome Anyirawase, a community along the busy Accra–Ho Highway, recorded one of its saddest moments when Richmond was hit by a speeding vehicle.
How he managed to walk from a house about five kilometres away from the highway before the accident remains unclear.
From emergency care in Ho to further treatment at Korle Bu in Accra — all under the heavy strain of financial hardship — the rest of Richmond’s journey is marked by questions that remain unanswered.
Yet today, at 16, despite paralysis and years of uncertainty, Richmond has found expression through visual arts — a talent that speaks louder than his painful past and reflects a future still full of promise.
Today, sixteen years on, Richmond walks with a limp. His right hand and leg are completely impaired, leaving him to rely solely on his left part of his body.
While his peers have progressed to Senior High School or are completing Junior High, Richmond remains in JHS 1.
Still living in the same village with his grandmother, he struggles with health challenges and visible signs of malnutrition, which have affected both his growth and speech.
During a recent visit to the village, the weight of Richmond’s situation moved visitors deeply. But amid the sadness, a spark of light emerged, one that deserves to be nurtured.
On the wall of one of the rooms in the house is a beautifully drawn picture of Tom and Jerry, the world’s famous cartoon characters, sketched entirely with a marker. That is not all.
The artist? Richmond himself.
When asked to bring his drawing book, each page has an impressive visual art, precise, imaginative, and filled with promise.
Despite the limitations imposed on him since infancy, his left hand has mastered what many with full physical capability still struggle to achieve.
On this day, International Day for Persons with Disabilities, when the world acknowledges the struggles and triumphs of persons with disabilities, I felt compelled to share Richmond’s story.
It is a story not just of hardship, but of extraordinary potential waiting to be guided, supported, and celebrated.
Richmond needs to be groomed, especially towards his education and well-being. His gift in visual art is undeniable. What he needs now is a chance.
In honour of this day, may Richmond’s journey remind us that talent does not diminish with disability, and that with empathy and intervention, a child’s destiny can still be rewritten.