As part of the curriculum in paediatrics rotation, we visited spastic school. For those of you who does not know what is it, it is the school/ places for children or adults that have cerebral palsy.
What is cerebral palsy? It is a group of disorder that affect one’s movements due to the damage to the brain during birth or soon after birth. Very often, they can have visual, intellectual, hearing and some other impairment and it is a life long condition.
Actually we have to write a reflection in our logbook but oh well, what I included there is just a very general statement of reflection since that is always what the university wants.
To be honest, throughout the visit, I am able to get in touch with individuals with cerebral palsy and I am truly amazed to find out that how positive they are in life because if I have it, I would have kill myself from the moment I know that I am abnormal.
I don’t know whether they understand their condition and everything but some of them indeed cannot understand what they have and I think it is truly a bless of not knowing and living in their own world because nothing can be changed even they know it.
Yes, there are occupational therapy and physiotherapy all the way to speech therapy but how much improvement they can get from such therapy? can they even lead a normal life? What is their lifespan comparing to a normal individual? What they get in the end? Will the society stop stigmatize people with disability?
They are full of hope and struggling to live. I managed to talk to one of the patient’s family and very surprised to find out that they are so positive and never thought of giving up.
At that point of time, I feel so ashamed because I am thinking to give up my life and everything over some insignificant stuffs when comparing with them.
I seriously enjoy the visit because it brought some positivity to my negative thoughts.
Towards the end of the day, the lessons that I leant is not on the disease but on the story behind individual with disability and the HOPE in these people.
HOPE changes everything.
