“I am excited for my little girl to learn how to walk,” Rachel’s mother shares. “That is my dream.”
17-month-old Rachel has been coming to our clinic since she was just two months old. She had to have surgery when she was just a newborn for a problem with her pancreas, but has not had any complications since then. Although she has been growing normally, her motor development has been slow.
She still cannot sit on her own, cannot crawl, or walk - developmental milestones that children normally reach by age one.
Rachel is the second daughter in her family. Her family lives in Guatemala and has few resources - her mother works every day to cook, clean, and take care of her children. She has been unable to get a job because of Rachel’s inability to move on her own, and has to carry her around all day on her back in order to be able to cook, clean, and do errands. Her father does not have a steady income and, instead, works odd jobs as a driver and an assistant to a bricklayer. Rachel’s family often has trouble affording basics such as food and wood to boil water, so sending their daughter to physical therapy is a luxury they cannot afford.
Treatment will give Rachel weekly physical therapy sessions, as well as transportation for her and her mother to the sessions. She will get individualized care that will develop her motor skills, helping her learn how to sit, crawl, and walk on her own. This will allow both Rachel and her mother to be more independent, making it possible for Rachel to live a healthy life, and for her mother to be able to work and help out her family economically.