Umair is 5 years old and has cerebral palsy. His mother Sayma’s own mother was exposed to methyl isocyanate gas during the 1984 Union Carbide leak. Umair was born prematurely and suffered hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen, at birth. The cerebral palsy caused extreme muscle tightness in his limbs and scissoring in his legs, which affected his mobility during infancy. His parents brought him to Chingari for assessment when he was just over a year old, and the therapists put together a bespoke treatment plan involving physiotherapy, speech therapy, and education.
Umair’s physiotherapy has helped reduce the tightness in his muscles, resulting in improved neck control, improved posture, and better functionality in his hands and legs. He can now sit cross-legged, squat, and kneel with support. When Umair came to Chingari he couldn’t yet speak and struggled with tongue control which made it hard for him to chew and swallow food. The speech therapists have worked extensively with him on this and he has progressed to semi-solid foods. Umair can now speak well at a phrase level, allowing him to communicate with simple sentences. In classes, Umair has learned to count from 1 to 10, identify colours and animals, and speak and write his name.
Umair is an incredibly bright child and happy child but occasionally gets frustrated with his limited mobility. He enjoys being at the centre, particularly the food – rice porridge is his favourite – and he loves blue light, which the therapists use to engage him during treatment. At home he is a big fan of Spiderman and Gattu Chinki cartoons, and when he grows up he wants to own and ride a KTM sports motorcycle. He is learning the Koran and would like to become a Hafiz (know it by heart).
