JEDDAH, 12 April 2006 — Despite the growing number of centers for helping handicapped children and their families, this form of social assistance doesn’t seem to dampen the stigma and embarrassment many parents harbor about having children with disabilities.
There are even parents in the Kingdom who feel so strongly about this burden that they abandon their disabled children from the moment they are born.
This is precisely what has happened to Abdullah, who is approaching his third birthday on July 18, a birthday that will likely be celebrated at the nursery unit of Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz University Hospital.
Abdullah’s mother, who only wanted to be referred to as L.G., was admitted to the hospital in July 2003 to give birth prematurely, only 28-weeks into her pregnancy. Abdullah was born weighing only 900 grams, suffering from spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and an umbilical hernia. The newborn’s legs were severely deformed. Abdullah has learned to walk on his hands, and will need orthopedic prosthesis and a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
The newborn was admitted to the nursery unit of the hospital where his mother used to come to breastfeed him for the first three months of his life. But after weaning, his family disappeared.
According to Somaya Ali Abdalwahab, administrative coordinator at KAUH, the child’s father, S.G., a vice sergeant, has refused to acknowledge his son.
Hospital staffers also say that the father divorced his wife after Abdullah was born and sent her back to her family in the south, further separating Abdullah from his family. The mother’s father also refuses to acknowledge his grandson. The hospital approached Abdullah’s uncle, the mother’s brother, hoping that he would mediate the situation, but he responded by washing his hands of the ordeal, saying it was up to the child’s father.
KAUH has made every effort to get Abdullah’s basic rights. Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed intervened in the case, authorizing the transfer of Abdullah to a rehabilitation center in Taif. However, the father must consent to the transfer of his son, which also requires him to place Abdullah on his family ID card.
“Each time we call him, he says I have no handicapped child and he hangs up,” said Somaya.
The nursery unit has become Abdullah’s surrogate home. The child is mentally stable and, despite the hydrocephalic condition (which is treated with a stint that drains the fluid buildup that can cause brain damage), he has picked up words in Filipino, Hindi and English, the languages of his surrogate family: the wholly expatriate nursing staff at the hospital.
“This is not a healthy environment for a growing child. Only food, vaccines and medications that he needs are given to him,” said Somaya, who pointed out that Abdullah is developing strong attachments to the place and its employees. He becomes upset at the mention of being transferred out of the hospital’s nursing unit.
In order to let him explore the real world outside, the nurses have been kind enough to carry him to the hospital’s backyard. He becomes happy when he sees the moon and the stars in the sky.
Apart from the need of a stable, caring family, Abdullah faces considerable rehabilitation needs through his childhood and young adult stages as his body grows. After that, he will stabilize into a lifetime with a crippling condition.
A well-known philanthropist has come forward willing to bear the cost of the special wheelchair. Now, KAUH is searching for that special wheelchair that would best suit Abdullah’s condition.
