Eight-year-old twins battling paralysis

Just when they were beginning to enjoy life, Pauline Rofina Adong and Petronila Regina Apio’s happiness was snatched away by a paralysis. However, their condition could improve with treatment that requires Shs16m.

Not one, but two eight-year-old twins struggle with life every day after they were both paralysed at the age of two. Their father, Ssalongo Patrick Bwiire, says before the twins fell sick, they were cheerful and playful.

“My God, those girls were very active and had a demanding appetite. When they fell sick, everything changed,” Bwiire says sadly.

Pauline Rofina Adong, the first twin, was the first to get ill.

At Zia-Angelina Health Centre, which is just a few metres away from their home in Namugongo, it was confirmed that she had malaria. She was later discharged after having spent two days at the health centre. By then, she had improved. A week later, Adong once again got sick but this time round, her condition became worse.

“We actually thought that malaria had re-occurred. It was after one week that we noticed she was limping. Eventually, we took her to Nsambya hospital,” Bwiire says with teary eyes.

At the hospital, a doctor told them to do more tests since he suspected it was not malaria but sickle cell anaemia.

Together with his wife, Bwiire was advised to do the tests at the Medical Laboratory and Consultancies in Kololo since the hospital lacked a machine for detecting the ailment. The bombshell was dropped! She indeed had sickle cell anaemia.

“When we went back to Nsambya from Kololo, she was admitted for two weeks while undergoing blood transfusion. Even when she was eventually released, we continued with the frequent visits to the hospital not only for the transfusion process but for the medication as well,” Bwiire adds.

Well, Adong’s condition seemed to improve until one night, she suddenly could not speak and one side of her body right from the neck to the toes was totally stiff.

When the family went back to Nsambya hospital, they were referred to Mulago hospital with the hope that Adong could be helped better.

“At the hospital, we were told that the best treatment for her would be physiotherapy which would help her regain sensitivity of her left side. Well, that is what we opted for eventually and paid Shs10,000 whenever we took her for the treatment,” he says.

When the expenses became unbearable, they opted out. They, however, continued giving her medication from home.

When the twins made two-and-half years, the other twin, Petronila Regina Apio, also got paralysed on one side and eventually her speech ,too, was impaired. This is when Bwiire decided to seek help from other organisations. Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services in Uganda was one of them.

“I generally became more desperate to get more answers to what could be the cause of this strange ailment and that is why I tried other places such as this rehabilitation centre.” he says .

However, he sought assistance from the centre when they were six years old. Here, they were diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia.

Spastic quadriplegia in this case means the twins are unable to sit therefore they are always lying down. They have reduced motion with their limbs.

Bwiire hopes that if the twins are admitted at the centre and receive daily physiotherapy, their condition will gradually improve. However, he needs about Shs16m to start the treatment.

To help

Contact Ssalongo Patrick Bwiire on 0772-371-230 or Nalongo Juliet Bwiire on 0772-457-259. Direct payments can be made to Centenary Bank Account number: 3020900531, Account name: Adong Pauline Rofina and Apio Pentronila Regina.

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