One of our students is appealing for a wheelchair, after the one she had been using for the past years has gotten smaller for her body.
Nicolle Mudzamiri (15), a form one student who has recently been enrolled at KGVI is appealing for a buggy wheelchair, a special kind of wheelchair for people with severe cerebral palsy.
She has a type of cerebral palsy called Spastic Quadriplegia, with Ataxia. This is a severe form of cerebral palsy as it affects both arms and legs, and often it also affects the torso and the face. People with this type of cerebral palsy usually have multiple associated conditions, such as speech difficulties and seizures.
“I had a buggy wheelchair since I was a child. It is comfortable and suitable for a person with my disability. As I have been growing, it has been getting smaller for my body and so I can’t sit on it now. So, I would want a wheelchair like that again because it has mechanisms that make me sit comfortably on it,” says Nicolle.
A buggy wheelchair is used by people with disabilities that have a weaker upper body strength. It has specially angled seats and straps to hold the person in place. Nicolle faces difficulties in holding her upper torse stable hence the need to have the special seat customization.
KGVI Principal Rehab Technician Emmanuel Dube also added his assessment and prescription for additional things that will need to be put on the wheelchair.
He said that the chair will need a lateral trunk side support to keep her body balanced. A knee separator, shoulder harness and a seat belt to keep the upper torso, head and neck stable. She would also need a head rest, and a foot strap.
“Add-ons such as lateral thigh support, pressure relief cushion with contours, a recline and a tilt in space are some of the things that will need to be there,” says Mr Dube.
Currently Nicolle is using a wheelchair that has none of these things to support her body. There is fear that sitting in this wheelchair may end up resulting in back aches for her.
Nicolle did her Primary education at St. Giles Rehabilitation Centre in Harare. She says after finishing her studies, she would like to pursue a career in catering as a Chef.
We as King George VI, are appealing to well-wishers out there who may be willing, to come to Nicolle’s rescue and gift her with a new wheelchair. She is only but fifteen years of age. She has a bright future ahead of her, and it would be greatly appreciated if someone out there may come to this young lady’s rescue.
As the old adage posits, “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish”, we as KGVI, will remain hopeful that our student will get help.