The Power of Wisdom  

Sam is one year and nine months old. He has a face that doesn’t stop smiling, giving the people around him a feeling that he has wisdom beyond his age. Indeed, he has chosen to be happy enough to carry on his journey; a journey that unfortunately didn’t start happily.

A mother’s feeling is the best indicator

The story started with a lack of Oxygen at his birth, which caused a restriction in his physical movement. His parents were still in denial, refusing even to think about the existence of any kind of disability.  His mother Ahlam, says: “Before he was 9 months old, I recognized that he wasn’t able to sit properly, crawl or make any movement. I made all possible excuses just to prevent myself from admitting that my son was suffering from any disability or illness”.

The family started to compare Sam to other children and to developmental standards. Some of them thought that Sam was just trying to draw attention to himself.

As time passed by, Sam’s parents began to be more worried, so they visited a pediatrician who referred them to a neurologist. Then came the final MRI result that determined he had Cerebral Palsy.

Finally, Dr.Waddah Malhees the Medical Director at the JPBC assessed Sam and referred him to the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre. His first admission was in June 2019, when he stayed with his mother at the Centre for two weeks. Here he received comprehensive therapy, while his mother benefited from the Mother and Family Empowerment Program.

Sam has shown a clear improvement in the second admission; now after his third admission, he can sit and crawl. This comes as a big relief for his parents enabling them to have a clearer vision for Sam’s future.

The young self-therapist

Despite his young age, Sam tries to join his siblings in all their activities and games. Now he feels more empowered and enabled. He has become a reason for family gatherings, as they continuously try to support his development and inclusion.

Sam has turned out to be a very keen and eager child to embrace and overcome his challenges, by doing exercises on his own. His mother says that she often sees him imitating the therapy exercises while playing by himself at home. 

Wisdom in each home

Ahlam says that she met with many mothers during her son’s journey of treatment, and some of them were obviously anxious about presenting their children to society. But, in contrast, she tries to highlight her son’s case, considering it as a success story that encourages him and other children and families who face a similar situations.

Ahlam always tries to build confidence in her son, to see him flourish in society, believing that only this wisdom in each home has the power to change the negative attitudes towards children with disabilities.