Pooling her resources

WHEN Rafidah @ Rafizah Ahmad was told she was expecting twins, she was so excited. However, at 29 weeks of pregnancy she was devastated to learn that one of them had died.

Its called a twin to twin transfusion syndrome where identical twins who share a single placenta have an unbalanced exchange of blood between them, says Rafidah.

The surviving twin was born with a heart condition at 33 weeks through normal birth. Izdihar Janna Adzly is now 7 years old. When she was 6 months old, Rafidah, who also has a 12-year-old son, noticed that her daughter was way behind in development milestones in terms of physical abilities.

It was only when she was 4 years old that the doctor told us that she had cerebral palsy, recalls Rafidah.

Like any mother with a special needs child, Rafidah, 38, is always looking for ways to provide the best treatment for her daughter. For her effort, she recently won a hydrotherapy inflatable pool worth RM4,000 through an online contest organised by Meditama Lifecare, suppliers of medical equipment.

CARING FAMILY Cerebral palsy affects the way the brain controls movement and posture. Janna is still unable to walk unassisted or to write properly, says Rafidah.

She also has a heart condition called Ebsteins anomaly where the triscupid valves do not close properly.

It was not easy in the beginning and I had to resign from my job as an engineer. I tried to multitask as much as possible to balance my roles. Luckily, my son understands the extra care Janna requires and does not demand attention from us.

My husband, a university lecturer, is also very supportive and will attend Jannas important appointments and those on weekends.

They also make sure that they see to their sons needs and her husband often spends more time with the boy.

Excerpt from:
Pooling her resources