* Guest submission by Tinsae Teku
Yordanos Werotaw Bezabih was born on 22 December 2000, In Addis Ababa at Black Lion Hospital. She was born at term and both labor and delivery were said to be normal. Her birth weight was 4500 gms. Her Apgar sore is unknown but she had normal color, tone, and neonatal reflexes immediately following delivery. On the second day following birth, she was noted to be jaundiced. The jaundice deepen till the fifth day when the total bilirubin value exceeded 17mg/dl with the indirect form being more than 15 mg/dl. Her blood group was B+ve and that of the mother was O+ve. Blood culture revealed no growth and her chest x-ray was normal. Though the neonate was put on broad-spectrum antibiotics she become listless, floopy, and at times rigid. Exchange transfusion 2 volume was done on the sixth day using compatable O+ve blood. Subsequently, though the bilirubin value dropped to less than 10mg/dl. The clinical condition of the newborn remained the same. Two weeks later she was discharged home following the establishment of breastfeeding.
When she was one year old she was not able to sit, crawl and roll on her own. When she was examined in Children’s Neurologist Clinic by the specialist Dr. Ayele Gebremariam advised her parents to take her to the physiotherapy center. The specialist also told them that she would be able to talk at age 3 and will also be able to be fully cured at age 7. When she was three years old she asked “When should I go to school?”. Then we seek professional advice about the type of school and convenient situation for her to learn. The Doctor said to take her to a regular school but with an assistant that could help her with feeding, playing, taking notes, and using the restroom. That is how she started going to school.
In 2004 with all her difficulties at the age of 3 and 8 months, Yordanos joined Kindergarten school with a special assistant. She could not manage to write. Her assistants helped her to take notes. Thus she continued learning with her eyes and ears. She was a good listener and observer in her learning.
The physiotherapy service to her was a continuous process in various clinics and specialists. But with little progress, with the help of her assistants, she completed her Kindergarten school and joined Brilliant elementary school in 2007 and attend until grade 5. She continues her school from grade 6 to 10 at Joint Vision Success Academy. She passed the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination with 90.3%. And The Ethiopian General Secondary Education Examinations result was 3.8 out of 4. She was transferred to Betesebe Academy to attend 11th and 12th grade. She took The Ethiopian University Entrance Examination and scored 457 out of 700 and join Addis Ababa University with high scores. She was registered in Psychology Department and studied for four years with the assistance of her courageous and hard-working mother.
Yordanos graduated with distinction from Addis Ababa University and was awarded by the Guest of honour of the graduation ceremony, her Excellency President of Federal Democratic Republic Government of Ethiopia, Ms. Sahilework Zewdie.
Her Assessment was Cerebral palsy, Dyskinetic form (Athetosis, dystonia) so, we feel that special and intensive physiotherapy may bring better progress in her current physical situation.
As we have no facility and center to take care of such children in Ethiopia we seek help elsewhere such facilities and centers are available.
