La Lucia mom celebrates her little angel on World Down Syndrome Day
Shireen Adam said she went through an adjustment period after her son was diagnosed.
AS World Down Syndrome Day was observed on 21 March, the Northglen News sat down to chat with La Lucia resident Shireen Adam, to find out more about life with her bundle of joy, Ameer Hamzah Adam (5) who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth.
“He was my miracle baby. He is my angel that God sent to me. I cannot tell you how much joy he has brought into my life,” she said.
Children with Down Syndrome are born with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome, explained Adam.
“There is a spectrum of varying intellectual and physically ability,” she added.
Adam said she went through an adjustment period after her son was diagnosed.
Also read: Don your funkiest socks for World Down Syndrome Day
“When you have a Down Syndrome child you’ve got to mourn the loss of having a typical child. For a brief moment in time your world comes crashing down. But the quicker you pick yourself up, the better it is for the entire family and most importantly, for the baby. I think moms of Down Syndrome babies need to know that it’s normal to feel sad at first, but you have got to prepare for an angel entering your home. In Islam we believe that these children are angels sent from heaven because they are on a higher level spiritually. They are sinless. They don’t do any harm. Their only aim is to love – that is exactly how Down Syndrome is. We live in this world of material wealth, but these Down Syndrome children are here to teach us how to love, how to care,” she added.
Adam hopes to raise awareness about Down Syndrome and address misconceptions.
“I think people underestimate how talented they are. My son is very creative. He loves to dance. He’s very artistic. He loves to draw and paint. He is also very dramatic and loves to act. He has been overseas six times already and whenever we fly, he makes the air hostesses’ day, he is so loving,” she said.
Adam said the only worry she had about having a Down Syndrome child was how she would help him face the host of health issues that come with Down Syndrome. In his young life, Ameer Hamzah has needed treatment from a string of specialists including an eye specialist, cardiologist, genetic specialist, audiologist, occupational therapist and speech therapist.
“From birth, Ameer Hamzah had major setbacks in that he could not eat or drink. He had to have an operation to put in a feeding tube. For three years I fed him through that tube. We have been to 25 specialist doctors to date,” said Adam.
Not all families can afford to pay for such a wide range of treatment.
In case you missed it: ‘Say hello’ for Apert Awareness Month
“The saddest part of it all is that the therapies and medical treatments are so expensive. I can afford it, but so many moms – I would say 90 per cent – cannot afford it and as a result, the children just lie at home. I would like to raise awareness and ask doctors across medical fraternities to pledge to offer reduced rates for treatment in the month of March for World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March,” she said.
Adam said she also faced a lot of difficulty finding a school for Ameer Hamzah.
“This is where inclusivity comes in – where so many schools are not willing to be inclusive. I think it is a result of a lack of education. Down Syndrome children are typical children, the only difference is it takes a little bit longer for them to learn, it’s like a flower that takes a bit longer to bloom, but when it does bloom, it is more beautiful than an ordinary flower,” she said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram
