Pearl's New Start

Aren’t children amazing? Imagine being abandoned at two weeks old and taken to an orphanage. Then, when you are 18 months old, you move again to a new home… to New Day. You are surrounded by new things- new children, new Mama’s, new foods, toys, routines, clothes. Pretty much everything you knew previously has changed and you need to start over again.

Pearl was brought to New Day due to problems using her right hand- for whatever medical treatment she may need and to receive lots of love and care until she can meet her forever family. When she first arrived the fear and sadness in her eyes spoke so much louder than words. However, fortunately for Pearl this is not the end of her story, but just the beginning. Already she has experienced love and joy from her Mama’s, fun and laughter with other children and excitement at trying new things.

I saw her in therapy for the first time recently. Unsurprisingly she was initially afraid and serious, preferring to stay in the new safety of the play room rather than venturing upstairs. However, with a little persuasion she was willing to take the risk and again, try something new by venturing up the stairs. She was of course rewarded with a candy for her courage and many fun things to play with and climb on in the therapy room.

Due to the weakness affecting one side of her body, Pearl's instinct is to use her good left hand all the time. We therefore made a pretty pink glove for her to wear during the day to help her remember to use her right hand more. The combination of wearing the glove and attending frequent therapy sessions should lead to a huge improvement in the strength and use of Pearl's right hand and give her much more independence as she grows up. 

Pearl has already had a remarkable transformation in her life due to the love that is poured into her; her smiles are becoming more frequent and she’s finding that playing with toys can be fun. She has great potential for therapy, so I’m excited to also see the physical transformation she makes over the coming months in Occupational Therapy.