Children with Cerebral Palsy deserve more from life

According to some national statistics, there are around one million Yemeni children suffering from one or more forms of Cerebral Palsy.  This medical condition is related to damage to the baby brain during delivery or during the early months of life which can have serious and lifelong effects on physical and mental functions, including loss of consciousness, and partial or complete paralysis.  While most of the reasons for the condition are easy to control, the increasing numbers of Yemeni children with such health conditions reveals the lack of awareness of healthy ways that can protect children from suffering their whole life from such complex diseases.  
 
Ashraf Abdulhakeem Gamel, a four and a half year old child, was afflicted with Cerebral Palsy due to a shortage of oxygen during delivery, which caused damage to parts of his brain.  “In the early months of his life we discovered that he could not move his neck or his arms,” said mother of Ashraf.

“He was treated by several hospitals and doctors since he was five months old. We treated him with massage and Chinese treatment at the beginning. Then we began to treat him with physiotherapy, “Ashraf’s mother continued.

Ashraf’s mother said that after one year of practicing and effort he finally walks not as a normal child but at least he can depend on himself in his daily needs like going to the toilet.

Ashraf’s parents travelled from Taiz to Sana’a because of lack of physiotherapy centers in many governorates which makes the parents of those kids undergo many difficulties in order to get better treatment for their own children.

“Ashraf’s father and I will do whatever we can do to ensure that our son will get the live he deserves,” said Ashraf’s mother.

While some people understand the conditions of their sons and daughters and make every effort to help them to live as normal as they can, there are lots of families who feel shame if God grants them a handicapped child and so they try to hide them away from public eyes. Ashraf’s mother said that some people had always blamed her for her disabled son instead of giving more interest to her healthy kids and they keep saying that he is a disabled and she can do nothing for him but let him as he is.

Another mother of two and a half years old girl, Omnia Ahmed, said that her daughter is her only concern and she does nothing all the day but looking after her daughter.

“This is her destiny and we are trying our best to give her the best cure. We notice some progress after we start physiotherapy in Al Amal Center but it is very slow and time-consuming so we have to be patient.” Omnia’s mother said. 

“Every normal person uses only 20 percent of his brain ability and physiotherapy activates the healthy undamaged cells of the brain to take the place of the damaged ones through studied physical exercises” said Dr. Mohamed Abo Zaid the technical manager of ALAMAL Physiotherapy Center for Cerebral Palsy children. 

Sometimes the damage effects small parts of the brain subsequently the paralysis would be limited and only distresses the movement and sometimes the damage impinges on large area o f the brain and dramatically reveal in multiple handicapped in movement, pronunciation, concentration and consciousness.

Basha’er Husain Alsukaimy was afflicted with significant damages in which results in serious affects in suffering  complete paralysis, loss of speech and consciousness. Her actual age is six years old but her mental age is just two months.

“A shortage of oxygen during delivery represents 50 percent of all cases while 25 percent are hereditary. The rest are because of some severe diseases like Encephalitis, Meningitis and German Measles “ said Dr. Qareeb Mohammed Qareeb, a specialist on Cerebral Palsy children.

“The rehabilitation helps to stop the deterioration of physical disability and gives the child more dependence on himself” said Dr. Qareeb.

Recently many centers of physiotherapy are opened to serve those children and some of them accept cases free of charge .Altahady Center which follows Altahady Society for Handicapped Women is one of those centers.

“We treat 170 cases every week on an average of three days for each. In general when the child starts the physical treatment immediately the muscles response better and the progress are getting higher “said Ali Alqashmary the Manager of Altahady Center for physiotherapy 

The support of government has facilitated the activities of concerned associations by establishing the Handicapped Rehabilitation Fund that sponsors the activities of all kind of mental, physical, verbal and visual disabilities associations.

The Handicapped Rehabilitation Fund was established in 2002, to serve approximately three hundred seventy nine thousand handicapped persons. “When The Handicapped Fund has been founded there were around twenty institutions which serve only twenty thousands persons whereas the number raised to seventy two in 2005 and now there are ninety two institutions concerned on serving and securing all needs of handicapped sector,” said Mr.Abdul-Aziz al-Sabry the Manager of public relations and Media in The Handicapped Rehabilitation Fund.

However the number of physiotherapy centers for cerebral palsy children is still under expectations as there are only eight centers for physiotherapy in the country. This situation adds more difficulties to the poorest families that they have to leave their towns and villages to look after their handicappers children.

The Handicapped Rehabilitation Fund services take account of providing medicines and equipments beside the educational and social services.   Although only 36 percent of the total numbers of Yemeni handicapped people are getting suitable services, the social barriers that had imprisoned the disabled people in their handicap start to break.

Alsabry blames the media because it has to take great responsibility in distributing the rights of handicappers and how they can receive the services they need.

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