Akamumpa’s new life after cerebral palsy
Dec 14, 2009
LIKE a crawling baby trying to stand, he falls on his first attempt. He tries and falls again. The third attempt sends him crushing to the ground. <br>
By Arthur Baguma
LIKE a crawling baby trying to stand, he falls on his first attempt. He tries and falls again. The third attempt sends him crushing to the ground.
He suddenly shouts out: “Cousino I told you I want to play football. I will walk one day,†he grins as he gets a firm grip on his wheel chair.
Fifteen-year-old Allan Akamumpa, who cannot squat, is more hopeful than some people without any disability.
“He wants to play soccer one day, but I told him to forget about it and he just laughed at me,†Ken Cousino, who is Akamumpa’s best friend says.
He travelled from America with specialised materials to construct a special latrine for Akamumpa to use without having to squat. “We want him to settle and resume school.
He has made great progress and will get better if he continues practicing,†Cousino adds.
This was after Cousino had returned from the US with Akamumpa, a year after he was taken for surgery.
In 2006, a team of students from the University of Michigan were shocked to meet a young boy, who was severely crippled.
The team headed by Dr William Chavey came to a conclusion that the crippled boy needed a second chance to live.
Noami Carora, who runs a charity organisation, Children Waiting Everywhere, was the first to to initiate this decision. She contacted her friends at the University of Michigan about Akamumpa’s plight.
Akamumpa’s life had sunk so deep at a tender age. His mother re-married and left him at the mercy of whoever cared. At that time he was a pupil of Nyaka AIDS Orphanage in Kanungu district. His father had died of HIV/AIDS five years ago.
Akamumpa was lucky because people were willing to treat him for free, but how would he reach the US?
Jackson Kaguri Twesigye, the head of the orphanage, through Rotary International raised money for Akamumpa and a caretaker to escort him.
Akamumpa got the visa but his uncle, who was supposed to escort him was denied one. They resorted to a good Samaritan who had travelled to the US several times before to travel with him.
Going to America
In September 2008, during a service at Christ the King Church in Michigan, Carora displayed a picture of a young boy, who was crippled.
She asked a regular at the church, Ken Cousino, whether he would host such a boy for dinner. Cousino said he would.
On November 18, 2008 at about 11.00am Akamumpa arrived at the airport in Michigan.
When Cousino got to the airport, he was frightened at the sight of a crippled boy coiled like a snake. He says there was trouble fitting Akamumpa in the car.
While at Cousino’s home, Akamumpa was curious about everything around him. When he was told to open his suit case to get his clothes, Cousino’s wife was shocked —– there was only millet flour, ground nuts and grasshoppers.
“Much as Allan thought he had brought us a delicacy, the grasshoppers were scary,†Cousino adds.
In the morning, Cousino discovered that Akamumpa had fallen off his bed.
The problem
Akamumpa suffered from a condition called cerebral palsy. Five doctors examined his condition and two of them said there was little they could do because the boy had over grown and therefore an operation would not help much.
However, the other doctors said they could make him be able to seat comfortably in a wheel chair while one insisted that he would be able to stand up one day.
In December, Allan underwent five surgeries on his legs and in January, surgery on his hands was done. After the operation, he underwent intensive therapy and exercising which has since significantly improved his condition.
Juliane Stock, a therapist at Michigan, who has been helping Akamumpa to exercise, said he is able to exercise on his own.
James Assimwe, the country manager Nyaka AIDS Foundation, says the organisation will take care of Akamumpa until he finishes school.
What is cerebral palsy?
A condition where a part of the brain which controls movement is damaged during infancy leading to failure to walk or crawl.
Symptoms
Uncontrollable seizures
Hearing problems
Inability to talk
Poor vision or impairment
Prevelance
Affects 200 million children worldwide, majority in developing countries.
50% of children in Uganda will have either a visual or hearing impairment or both.
80% occurs before or at birth.
Risk factors
If a baby is born tired, before seven months, weighs less than 2.5kg.
Bleeding in the brain.
Meningitis and cerebral malaria
Taking care while pregnant
Delivery under skilled care.
Immunising children to avoid brain infections.
Care for a child with cerebral palsy involves physiotherapy, counselling, nutritional advice and frequent medical check-ups.
There are support groups such as Uganda Cerebral Palsy Association, People Living With Disabilites Uganda we a parent can find help.
Children can also be given free physiotherapy at Mulago Physiotherapy Unit on referral from a neuroclinic.
LIKE a crawling baby trying to stand, he falls on his first attempt. He tries and falls again. The third attempt sends him crushing to the ground.
He suddenly shouts out: “Cousino I told you I want to play football. I will walk one day,†he grins as he gets a firm grip on his wheel chair.
Fifteen-year-old Allan Akamumpa, who cannot squat, is more hopeful than some people without any disability.
“He wants to play soccer one day, but I told him to forget about it and he just laughed at me,†Ken Cousino, who is Akamumpa’s best friend says.
He travelled from America with specialised materials to construct a special latrine for Akamumpa to use without having to squat. “We want him to settle and resume school.
He has made great progress and will get better if he continues practicing,†Cousino adds.
This was after Cousino had returned from the US with Akamumpa, a year after he was taken for surgery.
In 2006, a team of students from the University of Michigan were shocked to meet a young boy, who was severely crippled.
The team headed by Dr William Chavey came to a conclusion that the crippled boy needed a second chance to live.
Noami Carora, who runs a charity organisation, Children Waiting Everywhere, was the first to to initiate this decision. She contacted her friends at the University of Michigan about Akamumpa’s plight.
Akamumpa’s life had sunk so deep at a tender age. His mother re-married and left him at the mercy of whoever cared. At that time he was a pupil of Nyaka AIDS Orphanage in Kanungu district. His father had died of HIV/AIDS five years ago.
Akamumpa was lucky because people were willing to treat him for free, but how would he reach the US?
Jackson Kaguri Twesigye, the head of the orphanage, through Rotary International raised money for Akamumpa and a caretaker to escort him.
Akamumpa got the visa but his uncle, who was supposed to escort him was denied one. They resorted to a good Samaritan who had travelled to the US several times before to travel with him.
Going to America
In September 2008, during a service at Christ the King Church in Michigan, Carora displayed a picture of a young boy, who was crippled.
She asked a regular at the church, Ken Cousino, whether he would host such a boy for dinner. Cousino said he would.
On November 18, 2008 at about 11.00am Akamumpa arrived at the airport in Michigan.
When Cousino got to the airport, he was frightened at the sight of a crippled boy coiled like a snake. He says there was trouble fitting Akamumpa in the car.
While at Cousino’s home, Akamumpa was curious about everything around him. When he was told to open his suit case to get his clothes, Cousino’s wife was shocked —– there was only millet flour, ground nuts and grasshoppers.
“Much as Allan thought he had brought us a delicacy, the grasshoppers were scary,†Cousino adds.
In the morning, Cousino discovered that Akamumpa had fallen off his bed.
The problem
Akamumpa suffered from a condition called cerebral palsy. Five doctors examined his condition and two of them said there was little they could do because the boy had over grown and therefore an operation would not help much.
However, the other doctors said they could make him be able to seat comfortably in a wheel chair while one insisted that he would be able to stand up one day.
In December, Allan underwent five surgeries on his legs and in January, surgery on his hands was done. After the operation, he underwent intensive therapy and exercising which has since significantly improved his condition.
Juliane Stock, a therapist at Michigan, who has been helping Akamumpa to exercise, said he is able to exercise on his own.
James Assimwe, the country manager Nyaka AIDS Foundation, says the organisation will take care of Akamumpa until he finishes school.
What is cerebral palsy?
A condition where a part of the brain which controls movement is damaged during infancy leading to failure to walk or crawl.
Symptoms
Uncontrollable seizures
Hearing problems
Inability to talk
Poor vision or impairment
Prevelance
Affects 200 million children worldwide, majority in developing countries.
50% of children in Uganda will have either a visual or hearing impairment or both.
80% occurs before or at birth.
Risk factors
If a baby is born tired, before seven months, weighs less than 2.5kg.
Bleeding in the brain.
Meningitis and cerebral malaria
Taking care while pregnant
Delivery under skilled care.
Immunising children to avoid brain infections.
Care for a child with cerebral palsy involves physiotherapy, counselling, nutritional advice and frequent medical check-ups.
There are support groups such as Uganda Cerebral Palsy Association, People Living With Disabilites Uganda we a parent can find help.
Children can also be given free physiotherapy at Mulago Physiotherapy Unit on referral from a neuroclinic.