Umme-Salama's Cerebral Palsy Treatment
Donation protected
Umme Salama’s Story
On 17th October 2005 at the North York General hospital in Toronto at exactly 8:30am, I delivered my second child; a baby girl named Umme Salama (‘Umme’ for short). The moment I was told I had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, I experienced the most overwhelming mix of emotions. As I held Umme in the hospital bed for the first time as I soon quickly realized she had a slight tinge of blue to her skin tone. After further inquiry, our doctor reassured us it was due to the pressure on her body whilst giving birth and that it would eventually subside. Perhaps it was the excitement of finally getting to meet Umme or just pure exhaustion, but we didn’t explore the matter any further and instead focused on the trip back home now as family of four, no longer as the trio we were when we walked in less than 24 hours ago.
Umme was about 8-9 weeks when we took her on her first trip back to my homeland to introduce her to her extended family. Unfortunately, during the journey Umme was continuously getting sick with what seemed like regular colds. I went in to get her checked and after a few tests the doctor noticed a few concerning symptoms that signaled towards something more serious than a regular flu. Umme’s reflexes were relatively more rigid than most babies and her fists were constantly clenched. She also lacked support with her neck and was unable to hold her head up properly. We were told get further extensive testing done once we were back in Canada since these symptoms could potentially be signalling towards something called ‘Cerebral Palsy’.
After doing a quick google search of what Cerebral Palsy was, we realized the urgency of the situation and made immediate plans to get her checked with a specialist located in the States. After the official diagnosis, our lives were headed in a very unexpected, terrifying and challenging direction. As unbelievable as it is however, I’ve come to appreciate this path more than any other that would have perhaps been less stressful or less demanding. I am thankful that I got a daughter like Umme to help guide me through this path of having a child with a disability and I was chosen to help guide her in her path of living life with a disability
Day by day, we’re learning to prioritize the smaller victories along the way, celebrating the simpler goals that we’ve accomplished, learning to appreciate the minor but significant progresses that ensures that the tomorrow will be even brighter day than the one today- and so we will always have something to be grateful and hopeful towards. Umme has taught me to enjoy life without having to focus on getting to an unrealistic end goal. It took me a long time to realize it’s always been about the actual journey all along. Despite the hardships and it seeming impossible at times, there is good if you allow yourself to see it.
Despite her limitations, Umme still amazes us with her ability to live life to the fullest and never going through any of life’s hurdles without a grin on her face. Her infectious joy extends outside of the people that are close to her and no matter who you are you are, no matter what you can always count on Umme’s hearty laugh to turn around any kind of bad day or worry you have. Despite her speech limitations, she’s proved herself to be quite the social butterfly in social settings. She never holds back from getting involved in whatever kind of fun that she can join in on. At any given chance, she will always volunteer to participate and engage in any kind of activity no matter how challenging it is. Even if Umme has to be involved in other ways, she will find a way to be the most enthusiastic and cheerful spectator from the sidelines.
Every parent wants their child to be the best possible version of themselves, so they have the best shot at survival out there in the big bad world. As Umme’s parents all we can do is try to give her the best foundation we possibly can and make sure we provide as much of the assistance and resources to build the tool box she will need for when it’s her time to take on the world as more of an independent individual. We hope these treatments will not only help her gain more control of her body and her ability to express herself but more importantly give her the confidence she needs to reassure herself in her ability to ultimately succeed and thrive in the areas of her life that she currently struggles with due to her limitations.
Umme’s Progress So Far…
From the age of 7-8 months we’ve started Umme on different kinds of treatments such as Physio and Speech therapy. After our move to the States we also started her on Intensive therapy as well. We are fortunate enough to see progress in her communication skills and over the years she has shown signs of improvement in her ability to walk (with support). We are hoping this treatment in India will continue to help improve her mobility and give her further support to grow into a more able and confident individual.
About the Treatment
NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute in Mumbai, India, offers an advanced stem cell therapy whose main objective is to restore organ and tissue function for patients with continual and persistent diseases. This helps get to the root of the cause and replace the damaged and non-functional cells in the brains of patients with Cerebral Palsy.
The duration of the treatment is approximately 2 weeks for every round of therapy which happens every three months. The cost related to this treatment is estimated at around $10,000/- US dollars for every round of therapy. We hope to stay back in India and follow up with extensive therapy for the following months after the treatment. This treatment has successfully treated over 987 cerebral palsy patients and has shown to help patients make small but significant improvement in their daily routines with tasks that they may otherwise find particularly challenging.
We would like to extend our genuine thanks and appreciation to anyone that has taken the time to visit this page and helped support us in any which way. We are truly blessed to have such a strong support system made up of so many caring and compassionate individuals. If Umme could relay her own message on this post, I’m sure she would also want to express her utmost gratitude and appreciation for all of the people sending their love and support from all the different parts of the world. We hope to give Umme the tools she needs to have a life that she is worthy and deserving of. From the baby I held in my arms to the grown-up girl I see today, there is no doubt Umme has been the most magical thing to come into our lives; she will forever be our miracle baby.
On 17th October 2005 at the North York General hospital in Toronto at exactly 8:30am, I delivered my second child; a baby girl named Umme Salama (‘Umme’ for short). The moment I was told I had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, I experienced the most overwhelming mix of emotions. As I held Umme in the hospital bed for the first time as I soon quickly realized she had a slight tinge of blue to her skin tone. After further inquiry, our doctor reassured us it was due to the pressure on her body whilst giving birth and that it would eventually subside. Perhaps it was the excitement of finally getting to meet Umme or just pure exhaustion, but we didn’t explore the matter any further and instead focused on the trip back home now as family of four, no longer as the trio we were when we walked in less than 24 hours ago.
Umme was about 8-9 weeks when we took her on her first trip back to my homeland to introduce her to her extended family. Unfortunately, during the journey Umme was continuously getting sick with what seemed like regular colds. I went in to get her checked and after a few tests the doctor noticed a few concerning symptoms that signaled towards something more serious than a regular flu. Umme’s reflexes were relatively more rigid than most babies and her fists were constantly clenched. She also lacked support with her neck and was unable to hold her head up properly. We were told get further extensive testing done once we were back in Canada since these symptoms could potentially be signalling towards something called ‘Cerebral Palsy’.
After doing a quick google search of what Cerebral Palsy was, we realized the urgency of the situation and made immediate plans to get her checked with a specialist located in the States. After the official diagnosis, our lives were headed in a very unexpected, terrifying and challenging direction. As unbelievable as it is however, I’ve come to appreciate this path more than any other that would have perhaps been less stressful or less demanding. I am thankful that I got a daughter like Umme to help guide me through this path of having a child with a disability and I was chosen to help guide her in her path of living life with a disability
Day by day, we’re learning to prioritize the smaller victories along the way, celebrating the simpler goals that we’ve accomplished, learning to appreciate the minor but significant progresses that ensures that the tomorrow will be even brighter day than the one today- and so we will always have something to be grateful and hopeful towards. Umme has taught me to enjoy life without having to focus on getting to an unrealistic end goal. It took me a long time to realize it’s always been about the actual journey all along. Despite the hardships and it seeming impossible at times, there is good if you allow yourself to see it.
Despite her limitations, Umme still amazes us with her ability to live life to the fullest and never going through any of life’s hurdles without a grin on her face. Her infectious joy extends outside of the people that are close to her and no matter who you are you are, no matter what you can always count on Umme’s hearty laugh to turn around any kind of bad day or worry you have. Despite her speech limitations, she’s proved herself to be quite the social butterfly in social settings. She never holds back from getting involved in whatever kind of fun that she can join in on. At any given chance, she will always volunteer to participate and engage in any kind of activity no matter how challenging it is. Even if Umme has to be involved in other ways, she will find a way to be the most enthusiastic and cheerful spectator from the sidelines.
Every parent wants their child to be the best possible version of themselves, so they have the best shot at survival out there in the big bad world. As Umme’s parents all we can do is try to give her the best foundation we possibly can and make sure we provide as much of the assistance and resources to build the tool box she will need for when it’s her time to take on the world as more of an independent individual. We hope these treatments will not only help her gain more control of her body and her ability to express herself but more importantly give her the confidence she needs to reassure herself in her ability to ultimately succeed and thrive in the areas of her life that she currently struggles with due to her limitations.
Umme’s Progress So Far…
From the age of 7-8 months we’ve started Umme on different kinds of treatments such as Physio and Speech therapy. After our move to the States we also started her on Intensive therapy as well. We are fortunate enough to see progress in her communication skills and over the years she has shown signs of improvement in her ability to walk (with support). We are hoping this treatment in India will continue to help improve her mobility and give her further support to grow into a more able and confident individual.
About the Treatment
NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute in Mumbai, India, offers an advanced stem cell therapy whose main objective is to restore organ and tissue function for patients with continual and persistent diseases. This helps get to the root of the cause and replace the damaged and non-functional cells in the brains of patients with Cerebral Palsy.
The duration of the treatment is approximately 2 weeks for every round of therapy which happens every three months. The cost related to this treatment is estimated at around $10,000/- US dollars for every round of therapy. We hope to stay back in India and follow up with extensive therapy for the following months after the treatment. This treatment has successfully treated over 987 cerebral palsy patients and has shown to help patients make small but significant improvement in their daily routines with tasks that they may otherwise find particularly challenging.
We would like to extend our genuine thanks and appreciation to anyone that has taken the time to visit this page and helped support us in any which way. We are truly blessed to have such a strong support system made up of so many caring and compassionate individuals. If Umme could relay her own message on this post, I’m sure she would also want to express her utmost gratitude and appreciation for all of the people sending their love and support from all the different parts of the world. We hope to give Umme the tools she needs to have a life that she is worthy and deserving of. From the baby I held in my arms to the grown-up girl I see today, there is no doubt Umme has been the most magical thing to come into our lives; she will forever be our miracle baby.
Organizer and beneficiary
Zainab Hajee
Organizer
HUZEFA HAJEE
Beneficiary