My little Community Case buddy

July 9, 2018 /  admin  /  2 Comments  /  Featured, News - Thailand

My little community case buddy keeps showing great potential.

This is really a community helping in this case. After meeting with the family, the Physio and the expat lady Isabelle, a plan was formed.

Step one…Orthopaedic Doctor assessment done. Mum, Dad, little girl and I went a week ago to see the doctor, who diagnosed her as having cerebral palsy affecting her lower limbs only.

An x-ray was done and seen to show one hip was subluxed (not dislocated but with the potential to become so if she was not strengthening the muscles and retraining them to work against the spasms.) He suggested free physio at Bann feung fah for 3 months and then x-ray again to see if it had improved or not. If it was getting worse, surgery would be considered.

This doctor gave us hope that a disability card could be got for her, even though she is not Thai (which would have made surgery and treatment free). We went to the orphanage to chat with social workers but everyone was in the quarterly meeting; however, she did get to try out some of the orphanage equipment. Dad was inspired by what he saw and was sure he could make copies.

Alas, in working on Step Two: getting paperwork for applying for the card, it was found this was not to be possible. The family took the little girl to the next doctor, who would write the report to go in with papers to get the card. This doctor said this was not possible and that she was not entitled to a disability card, even though she was born in Thailand. The family came over to Bann feung fah and they confirmed this.

We had originally understood this to be the case and were seeking financial support to help the family from other means. This support is still a possibility,  now we know free treatment is not an option. Everyone at work loved her personality and said how bright she was. One of the standing frames we don’t presently use was loaned to the parents for her to build her muscles by weight-bearing, with her feet in good posture.

A plan was made…. Step three was coming to Bann feung fah every Wednesday for physio. The social worker will contact the special needs school to see if she might be able to go there, even though she won’t have a disability card. We await a reply on that one.

As we carry on seeking these things, Dad is working on creating the equipment he saw and often even enhancing it.

We have a few other possibilities if the school is not possible. We may have the chance for her to go horse riding for free on Sunday evenings with the physio. More updates to come on this.

Thankful to all who are involved… from the expat community, the Bann ff staff, the dedicated Mum and Dad and the hard working daughter. Please pray for favour with the school and improvement in her physical ability.

Nicola Anderson