Family First is a charitable project that is passionate about supporting families who have children with complex medical needs and disabilities in Kumasi, Ghana.
Pearl
Pearl is always full of spirit and loves to joke, she is 8 years old and has cerebral palsy. Although she can’t talk, she understands everything and communicates through hand gestures and facial expressions and certainly makes it very clear what she wants.
Pearl's Mum benefits greatly from our family support groups and she is passionate about doing what is best for Pearl and other children with Cerebral Palsy. Pearl's mum has recently had a new baby, meaning Pearl now has 4 brothers and we are supporting their family closely in this busy time.
Pearl has monthly Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy, and her family are involved in the therapy and encouraged to carry out daily exercises. Pearl's eldest brother (16) has really taken a great interest in Pearl's therapy since Mum has been busy with baby! Pearl has made massive progress and can now sit independently on the floor and a chair. We had a wooden standing frame with a table made for Pearl which not only supported her standing posture, but she also loved being stood upright whilst being able to play with toys and seeing what was going on around her.
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Pearl receives Project Peanut Butter supplements, a nutrient and energy rich peanut paste, which promotes healthy development and weight gain. Pearl has a lot of uncontrollable, spastic movements due to her CP. We have started Pearl on Baclofen medication which is a muscle relaxant which will hopefully give her greater control of her movements. As Pearl grows stronger our physiotherapist is working on weight bearing exercises, Pearl can now independently sit to stand holding on to a bar. They are also working on supported working and as Pearl gains greater control over her movement we will aim to have a bamboo posterior walking frame made for her.
Pearl is so determined and desperate to be more independent. Through O.T. and Mum's continuous support, Pearl is developing independence in getting dressed, putting on deodorant and we bought her a specialist cup so that she can now drink independently (she was so happy she slept with her cup under her arm for the next) and specialist spoon to work on self-feeding skills. In Speech and Language Therapy, Pearl is working on oral motor skills and copying pronunciation of sounds, as well as using a visual communication book to express her needs.
Pearl has such a determined personality and with the right interventions and input she could really thrive in her development. Currently, Pearl spends a lot of time home alone when her Mum goes out to work, which is just heart-breaking, and we would love to explore school options. We are looking it to a local school that we have met with who are passionate about supporting children with special needs. This school doesn’t currently have many resources available, but is something that we would support them to develop and we would fundraise for a physiotherapist to come weekly. It would be wonderful for Pearl to be in a class with other children, where she could interact and learn alongside them every day, whilst we would train their staff to give her the additional specialist support that she needs.
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