From a CP child’s view

Because my brain was damaged when I was born, I was sent to a children's orphanage. There I live with other children who have similar conditions as mine.

I feel very lucky that I was accepted into the New Day in-orphanage project.

This is my home.

Cerebral palsy has seriously affected my growth and development and self-care ability. The counselors, therapists and nannies here help us overcome all these obstacles and ensure that our daily lives go smoothly.

My nanny will take care of preparing me for sleep, getting up, eating and dressing. Sometimes it takes a long time for her to feed me a meal, because I have to watch my swallowing rhythm. Although I am very hungry and want to finish it quickly, my mouth does not follow my instructions. The feeding process and muscle cramps make my body consume a lot of energy, so my nanny always tries to get me enough energy, such as high-energy milk powder, chocolate sauce, honey, etc., which I like to eat.

 

In order to alleviate the abnormal reflexes of my body, I need special equipment to assist me in sitting, standing, and lying down.

For example, I need to stand in the stander for half an hour every day to exercise my muscles and joints.

When I lie down, my mother will place a special cushion for me, which can relieve the abnormal twitching of my body and also put appropriate pressure on my bones and joints.

I lie on the wedge cushion for half an hour to practice strengthening my shoulders and neck.

Of course I am as curious about the outside world as you are. The learning activities my nanny does with me opens the door to the unknown. Through these activities, I learned about the sun, the moon and the stars, the four seasons of the year, food, clothing, shelter, and the basics of life. My favorite is all kinds of small animals. Sometimes I wish I could become a small fish and play freely in the blue sea.

I can't speak in words, so it makes my desire to express myself more urgent. Through AAC teaching aids, my coach taught me to use buttons and pictures to express my ideas. When others can understand what I mean, I am very happy!

Sometimes volunteers will take us outside and each time is an unforgettable day! Seeing the blue sky and white clouds, flowers and trees make me feel amazed!

My nanny told me that each of us is special, and each child deserves care and happiness.

 

I want to tell her that I feel the kindness of everyone around me.

With you here, I feel very happy!