Fatima is 2 years old and has dyskinetic cerebral palsy, a condition which causes weakness and involuntary movements in the muscles. Her grandfather is a survivor of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, and her father Mashkoor and mother Sana brought her to Chingari for assessment when she was just a year old. Fatima has suffered seizures since birth and also had pneumonia as an infant. When she came to Chingari she was still unable to properly control her neck, resulting in missed physical milestones. She could not yet sit, stand, squat, or perform controlled movements with her hands.
Since beginning physiotherapy, Fatima’s neck muscles have strengthened considerably and she can now control the movement of her head. She has learned to sit cross-legged, can roll on both sides, and can now properly grasp and hold objects. Occupational therapy has also helped her with hand control, eye contact, and the basics of call and response necessary for her to communicate. In speech therapy, Fatima has progressed from being completely non-verbal to communicating via sounds and has managed to speak a few words, like mamma and amma (grandmother). Although progress has been slow due to her young age and the severity of her condition, Fatima is progressing well and should continue to reach important milestones with the right program of care.
Fatima’s favourite food is Sabudana – food made from cassava root. Her paternal grandmother’s name is also Fatima. Talking about Fatima, her grandmother gets emotional and says, “I want Fatima to become capable and well qualified in life and will try my level best to do so. I feel really irritated if anyone talks wrong about her. She is our child, our piece of heart; we accept her the way God has given her to us. I am ready to dedicate my whole life to her.”
