Ubesh is 5 years old and has been attending the Chingari Rehabilitation Centre for 3 years. He has developmental delay and suffered health complications after birth, including seizures, Meningitis, and Hyperbilirubinemia, a condition where there is too much bilirubin in the baby’s blood as a result of the breakdown of red blood cells. His grandfather is a survivor of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, and his parents Nida and Salman, concerned that this could be linked to his health problems, brought him to Chingari for assessment.
When Ubesh began treatment at Chingari in February 2021, he was unable to sit, stand, or walk, and could not control his neck muscles enough to hold up his head. He also had muscle tightness in his legs and arms, resulting in poor control of his hands. His breakthroughs in three years of regular physiotherapy have been astounding: he now has full control of his neck; has achieved squatting and cross-legged sitting; can stand and walk independently and is able to hold and manipulate objects with his hands. His progress in speech therapy has been similarly impressive: when he arrived, he could not speak a word and would regularly cry during sessions. After three years of hard work, he can now speak in single words and basic sentences, has improved attention and eye contact, and is much happier in his sessions.
With the help of the centre’s special education classes Ubesh is also managing better both in the classroom and at home. He has learned to hold and use a pencil, identify different colours, and to brush his teeth without help. He has also learned to enjoy socialising, both with other children at the centre and when guests visit at home. He loves to eat bananas and watch Spiderman cartoons.
