by Navneet Bhullar, MD
As simple as counseling and connecting. We met Kiran three years ago when she was already twenty. She has cerebral palsy ( CP) and suffered from involuntary movements which prevented her from holding objects, she had no neck control and after a blotched surgery to loosen a knee, had not been able to walk. This is a common story in Punjab’s disability hellscape. Crores are fed to the state for corrective orthopedic surgeries, but there is no oversight of district special educators who must train volunteers in schools to identify and refer CP cases to surgeons and then get several weeks of quality physiotherapy. Jalandhar district is especially sordid. Kiran had had surgery as a child but a bad one with no follow-up with the suregon and no physiotherapy.
We took her to CMC Hospital, Ludhiana where she was admitted to neurology March 2024, started on medication to control her movement disorder, and to replenish her nutrirional deficiencies. Physiotherapists there set a goal of self-transfer to a wheelchair.
Thanks to her father’s dedication and APAAR ‘s passion, Kiran has exceeded that goal. She is now using a walker, and has been referred to physiotherapy closer to home. APAAR staff visited her at home yesterday. Her father is delighted with her progress. No longer facing the indignity of being carried to the bathroom, she uses her walker. Kiran laughed, narrating a ride story from our Wonderland visit in March. Special educator Priya recommended a double-handled cup to drink when she saw the unsteadiness with a single handle.
Kiran holds up her neck fine. She exercises daily per physio instructions.
Her father has been enthusiastic in following our guidance. Not once has he refused to accompany her with us to CMC Hospital, Ludhiana and this past spring he has been taking her on auto to LPU physiotherapy.
APAAR wishes other families were similar. Most are too tired or callous, and the disabled kids ignored by administrations and the medical establishment, grow into dependent adults, robbed of basic dignity. APAAR has made multiple failed attempts to attend a Jalandhar district SMO meeting for years.