Leap year girl celebrates her 4th
The bubbly girl celebrated her birthday with a theme party for which she got to dress up Princess Sofia
“IT’S my birthday party today!” little Kuenisia squeals with delight.
“I’m turning three…oh, no, no – I’m turning four,” she quickly corrects herself, while holding up four tiny fingers to show her age.
Kuenisia Lesley-Anna Stewens of Birch Acres turned four years old on February 29 and celebrated with friends and family on Saturday afternoon.
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A leap year baby, Stewens was born two months prematurely in 2012 and about a month or two after her birth was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is excessive accumulation of fluid in the skull, causing the brain to swell.
This may cause brain damage in a child as a result of the fluid build-up, which in turn can lead to developmental, physical and intellectual impairments.
But looking at how well Stewens has grown, you wouldn’t even tell she had this condition.
“When we found out Kuenisia had hydrocephalus, the doctors gave me all these extreme situations I should look out for, so I ended up just preparing myself for the worst,” Zama Ndlovu explained, retelling the confusion she experienced when she had her daughter.
“But with God’s grace, nothing has ever happened and the last time she went to hospital was when she was still a baby. She’s not a sickly child; instead, she’s growing up to be a happy child who is always laughing. She’s my best friend.”
Little Kuenisia is now attending nursery school in Roodepoort and travels with her grandmother every morning.
The bubbly girl celebrated her birthday with a theme party for which she got to dress up as Princess Sofia from the Disney animated series Sofia the First, and donned her sparkly tutu, gold shoes, a magic wand and, of course, her crown. Because what would a princess be without her crown?
