Michelle is a very special little lady arriving at The Good Life Orphanage in November 2009 after being abandoned by her very young mother after birth. Michelle was born with spastic quadriplegic cerabral palsy, we were told that her survival rate was very low and advised us to make her as comfortable as possible for her short life.
Now at nearly five years old, Michelle can say some words and is able to feed herself. Here is an update on her progress from Hemed:
• She is now able to use both her hands.
• Can exchange objects from one hand to the other
• Can utter 3-4 letter words
• Can tell all her brothers and sisters in the house by name
• Can sit independently without support
• Michelle is also able to stand with moderate support
Kevin is another child with special needs in our orphanage as he was abandoned by his family due to his disability, he was born with cerebral palsy hemiplegic with sensory processing dysfunction and arrived with us in August 2013 from the nearby Police Station. Again he has progressed very well with good care, regular medical check-ups & weekly Physiotherapy session with Charles at the orphanage, here is an update from Hemed:
• Kevin can crawl and use his unaffected hand to move around
• He is able to communicate using body language and gestures
• He understands all expressive language in Kiswahili
• He tries to socialise with other children and can play with peers for sometime before becoming aggressive if he is questioned in anyway by the other children.
Whilst these children are developing well with the weekly sessions thanks to the generosity of D.A.F.A, they have ongoing problems due to their conditions and thanks to the generous donation by Fiona Kelly from Road of Hope Charity based in Northern Ireland we now have bought them some much needed medical apparatus to assist their special needs.
Michelle has shortened Achilles tendon and this limits her from upright standing, we now have been able to buy her foot elevator splints which release the shortening Achilles tendon. Both Mama Domi & Auntie Juliet in Maguire house now realise that more emphasis should be on daily application of these to Michelle’s legs and with assistance she will be stand for at least 2 hours daily.
Kevin has also a marked weakness on the left hand with wrist drop and a foot inversion on the left leg which causes him mobility problems. These conditions also prove to be problematic for Kevin as he gets very fustrated and angry when he cannot perform tasks like the other children often lashing out at his siblings in Flynn House.
With the very kind & generous donation from Road of Hope we have bought a hand resting splint to correct the wrist drop and bring about awareness of the impaired hand. Also he now has a specially fitted abductor shoe to correct the inversion of the foot, again an essential peice of equipment to assist in improving his mobility.
As you can see from the photos Kevin is not very happy with his new splint and abductor shoe but we are sure he will get used to them. Unlike Michelle who takes everything in her stride, Kevin sadly has been mistreated before arriving at The GLO but slowly he is re-adjusting to life in Flynn House with Mama Mapenzi.
Asante Sana Fiona and the supporters of Road of Hope, this donation is very much appreciated and as you can see will transform Michelle & Kevin’s lives.
I wonder if these kind people that give time effort and funds toward a better life for these children really know What a Big Deal it is they together with the founders and the staff at the GLO are giving these children the only chance they have of a near normal life.
Well done to you all and keep up the good work.
Lastly well done to the children for learning to believe and never giving up
God Bless You All
Whilst these children have such tragic stories – they are now blessed to be part of the wonderful Goodlife Family. These children truly are special children. Our daughter also has cerebral palsy and she enriches our lives in so many ways every single day. We shall spread the word about the GLO to hopefully grow your support to ensure you can continue your wonderful works and providing a safe and loving home for these children.