A little warrior’s big fight

Moegamat Keeyan Omar, a resilient four-year-old, refuses to let his rare disease define him as he conquers a challenging time in his life where he requires funds to obtain the required medication so he can enjoy being a child again.

Keeyan was born prematurely at 36 weeks on December 29, 2019, and was booked into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where he spent five months. According to his mother, Zeenat Omar, she and her husband were informed by the doctor that he has optic nerve hypoplasia, a condition in which the optic nerve, responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain, is underdeveloped.

This condition results in a small optic nerve due to a problem with the development of the eyes in utero. This is a rare disease, as most doctors and scientists do not know what causes it.

“No parent wants to find out that their child has a rare disease, so it was hard for both my husband and me to grasp this information. Keeyan was also diagnosed with autism and growth deficiency, resulting in additional medication that had to be prescribed for him at such a young age.

“Keeyan also required medication for cerebral palsy for not being able to walk, thyroid medication, epilepsy, as well as growth hormone therapy suggested by our paediatrician since he only grows two centimetres a year, which is not normal,” Zeenat said.

After her husband was retrenched, it became difficult to keep up with the funds their medical aid was charging for Keeyan’s condition. The family then created a BackaBuddy account to cover his special needs equipment.

“Keeyan has not been receiving any medical therapy since July, and fortunately the dietitian suggested we take him to horse lessons to assist with his mobility and even offered to pay for the lessons. It was such a kind gesture because we were already struggling to make ends meet.

“The horse lessons have helped so much with his mobility, and now Keeyan can walk properly. At first, he was hesitant, but now he looks forward to every riding session. We are trying to raise funds so our son can get the special care he needs and continue paying for the medical aid to keep him covered,” Zeenat adds.

Keeyan still requires his medication, as horseback riding is not efficient enough to cover his entire condition. If you would like to assist, follow this link: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/moegamat-keyaan-omar