13-year-old brings joy to training centre for special needs in Ermelo
Shortly after Dawid's first birthday, his mother realised something was wrong with her son as he did not reach his milestones; he struggled to eat, and she took him to the hospital for a check-up.
ERMELO – Dawid Nkosi (13) is one of the children keeping the staff at the Prism Training Centre for Special Needs on their toes, but who also fills their lives with love and laughter.
Born in the Ermelo Provincial Hospital on May 11, 2010, he struggled to breathe. It was later discovered that he had contracted meningitis at the hospital shortly after being born. Dawid had to spent a month in the hospital before he was discharged.
According to his mother, Zodwa, the doctors instructed her to keep him inside the house and to limit his contact with people.
After Dawid’s birth, his mother had not yet thought of a name for him, and one of her friends for whom she also works suggested the name Dawid, as in the David and Goliath story from the Bible.
“It immediately felt like the right name, and as my grandfather who raised me was also named Dawid, it was well suited,” Zodwa said.
Shortly after Dawid’s first birthday, his mother realised something was wrong with her son as he did not reach his milestones; he struggled to eat, and she took him to the hospital for a check-up.
“They scheduled him for therapy three times a week and gave him medicine, but no diagnoses yet.”
After months of visits to various doctors, she refused to give up and gave her son the best possible care she could.
She told the newspaper feedings were time-consuming as Dawid could not suck on a bottle. She had to gave him milk drop by drop. Later when she introduced solid foods, she had to dilute it to drip it into his mouth.
He got the nickname ‘Springbok’, as he reminds his mum of the Springbok player Ox Nché.
“Dawid is really strong and can run very fast,” she jokingly told the newspaper.
She told about numerous times when Dawid would take the road and go missing, and she had a whole search party looking for him. Zodwa added that he usually wants to go to the Prism Centre or walks to one of his friends’ houses.
“He loves being at Prism Centre. Gerda Smuts has made a massive impact on his life. He use to scream at the school every day and jump the walls, but he is a lot better now and more calm.”
Dawid was later diagnosed with autism, ADHD and delayed hearing. “With him being at Prism, we have peace of mind that he is safe and well taken care of.”
Gerda Smuts, owner of the Prism Centre, told the newspaper that Dawid is like all the other children at her school; like one of her own.
