Two patients suffering from cerebral palsy at Bundi in Madang Province have received much-needed wheelchairs from the Callan Services for Disable Persons at Mingendi, Chimbu.
The two youngsters, 13-year-old Steven Aika and 5-year-old Frenjenny Yoga, are from Yandera Village in Bundi.
Cerebral palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance and posture.
The boys have never been in a wheelchair, only been carried around to places by family members.
The wheelchairs came as a surprise for their families.
They were diagnosed with cerebral palsy during a Rural Health Outreach Program carried out at Bundi in October this year.
The program involved four specialist doctors and a nurse from Kundiawa General Hospital’s Rural Outreach Program (ROP), a nurse from Bundi Health Centre and the Snow Pass Medical Dispensary (SPMD).
Community impact projects director Vincent Kumura said the program aims to address the prevalent healthcare needs in the Bundi area.
Kumura, who is Digicel’s Men of Honour and the Community Ingenuity Award Winner, came up with the initiative to assist the rural people who do not have access to Kundiawa Hospital.
Kumura assisted to transport the wheelchairs from Kundiawa to Bundi. The wheelchairs were then pushed to Yandera, which is about 12km from Bundi.
The quiet family reception burst with tears of joy and great relief from bitter pain felt over the years.
Aika’s mother, Cathy, said: “For many long years, I would get up every morning and open the window so that my son can bask from the sun rays through the window.
“I couldn’t bring him down because he is 13 and heavy and I almost had an accident a while ago trying to carry him down the verandah.”
Kumura said it is a sad and compassionate story.
“I hope the wheelchairs would at least help to alleviate some of the responsibilities of the parents,” Kumura said.
Picture courtesy of Vincent Kumara