Melody
Melody is an 8 month old baby girl who was admitted to Ekisa’s Transitional Home at just 6 months old in a critical and fragile state. Due to her cerebral palsy, she was unable to nurse, causing her to become severely malnourished and in need of around the clock medical care.
Since coming to Ekisa in January, Melody has been admitted to the hospital 3 times for various infections, frequent vomiting, and aspiration pneumonia. Our team is committed and working hard to find solutions and treatments that will help her to gain strength and weight. Melody’s family is grateful for Ekisa’s medical care and support and continues to be very involved in her life. Together, we are working to care for Melody, improve her health, and help her best thrive. Once Melody’s health is stabilized, she will be able to move back home with her loving family, but until then we will care for her as she fights off infections and slowly gains weight.
Akashi
Akashi is a sweet and smiley 5 year old boy living in Eastern Uganda with his mother and grandparents. Akashi was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth and while his mother tried her best to care for him, he often fell sick and spent a lot of time in the hospital.
It was after Akashi and his family found Ekisa and joined our Community Care Program that they were able to identify that he also had Sickle Cell Disease. Each week, Akashi’s mother brings him to one of our therapy groups where he is seen by a physical therapist and his mom gets to spend time with others in her same situation. Our social workers meet with these parents each week to encourage them and help them to grow in their understanding of how to best care for their children. For Akashi, Ekisa stepped in and offered medical support, making sure he is able to get the medication he needs. Both he and his mother are much more stable and know that they are not alone.
In Uganda, families often struggle to access medical services. They may be too expensive, too far away, or non-existent... Some may wait all day to see a doctor only to find out that they can’t afford to be seen. Other times the doctor they do see may not fully understand their child’s disability and be of little help.
Melody and Akashi are just two of the 170 children Ekisa is providing medical support to. They are able to access the help they need, when they need it. Our team of nurses and social workers stay involved, ensuring they get the right care and support them along the way.
We believe that by providing comprehensive medical care to children with disabilities, we are not only improving their health and quality of life, but sending a message to the community that their lives are valuable and worth investing in.
For many of us, access to medical care when we have an infection, broken bone, or tooth ache is as simple as finding the nearest urgent care or minute clinic. However, in Uganda having access to high quality medical care is something that is truly life-changing. The financial burden brought on by a simple fever or infection is often too great for many families, causing them to rely on self-medication or pushing off care until sadly the infection is more severe. Families that have children with disabilities are often at an even greater disadvantage.
During the month of May, we will be sharing more about Melody and Akashi and looking at some of the specific medical help they receive. Check out our social media to learn more about our work, meet our nursing staff, and see how you can get involved.
If you want to make a difference today, you can donate to our medical campaign here.