Little Keketso Mokoena was the youngest at Little Eden when she was admitted in 2009 at the age of only 14 months.
As the baby in the home she had a special place in the hearts of everyone.
She was born with spastic cerebral palsy and brain atrophy. She had a large soft-tissue growth at the back of her head, which hindered her from rolling, sitting, crawling and standing.
Initially, Keketso stayed with 24 other residents in Red Wing at the Edenvale Home, which caters specifically for residents who require more intense medical attention.
Through the attention, dedicated therapies, early intervention as well as the love and care she has been getting from the staff, the soft-tissue growth disappeared without any surgical intervention.
She spontaneously started moving and rolling over and tried pulling herself up to sit. She was then moved to Green Wing, which is where the residents who function at a slightly higher mental level live.
This is where Keketso has learnt various functional skills from other active and mobile children. She has made remarkable progress in her development, which is unusual for most children diagnosed with brain atrophy at birth.
She is now able to sit without support. She wears special shoes due to her bilateral foot deformities, but continuous stretching, passive movements and manual foot manipulation helps her become stronger over time.
She now pulls herself up to stand, and her new favourite skill is to take off all her clothes, which keeps staff busy the whole day.
Keketso is fortunate to be sponsored by Multotec through its Adopt an Angel initiative.
This generous sponsorship ensures that she continues to receive the quality care necessary for her to reach her full potential. However, there are many of Keketso’s friends at Little Eden who are not so fortunate as to have a sponsor.
Of the 300 residents, 230 were abandoned or come from indigent families.
Therefore, they are completely dependent on the society to provide all their needs. The public is welcome to contact Little Eden if they are interested in becoming a monthly sponsor of one of their angels. For more information about the Adopt an Angel initiative, contact Ms Nichollette Muthige on 011 609-7246 or visit its website at www.littleeden.org.za.
