Don’t underestimate our children

Hannah Bhagwandeen, 13, has had nine major surgeries so far in her life. - Joshua Bhagwandeen
Hannah Bhagwandeen, 13, has had nine major surgeries so far in her life. - Joshua Bhagwandeen

DR RADICA MAHASE

According to former Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, "Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow." World Children’s Day is celebrated onNovember 20 to “… promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.”

This week I am proud to highlight two amazing children.

Hannah is 13 years old and her younger sister Leah is nine. They love to dance, sing, listen to music and play with their dolls and dogs.

Hannah was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease. She had two liver transplants at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Baltimore. One of the side-effects of her medication during her hospital stay was profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. At about three years old, she underwent cochlear implant surgery at SickKids in Toronto. These implants help her to hear. Several years later she had surgery again to implant her second ear. Hannah has had nine major surgeries so far, in her life.

According to her parents, Joshua and Thalia Bhagwandeen, “Hannah struggled to survive; she came out of so many surgeries. She had several years of speech therapy after her cochlear implants, to help her learn to talk and understand speech. As parents, we stuck with her, supported her, helped her, gave her every opportunity we could in order to for her to have as close to a normal life, as possible. We remained prayerful and relied on our faith, our support system and each other.

"Today, Hannah still faces challenges with communication, but she is willing and she tries very hard to keep up with her normal hearing and healthy peers.”

Hannah, right, and Leah with their parents Joshua and Thalia Bhagwandeen. - Joshua Bhagwandeen

Covid19 has brought more challenges: Hannah is immunocompromised and is on daily anti-rejection medication, so she and her family have to be extra careful to keep her safe and healthy.

More specific challenges are having to maintain Hannah's cochlear implants. According to her mother, “We have to visit the audiologist every couple of months to programme or map it (make adjustments to have her hear optimally) and recently the private audiologist stopped her private practice.

"She now works where they do not have the equipment to map cochlear implants. We're not sure how we'll map going forward. We worry that if she gets sick during this pandemic, how we would deal with it.”

Hannah and Leah are little girls with big dreams and aspirations. Hannah wants to be a pilot, but most recently she developed an interest in hairstyling. She aspires to open her own business and even delegated her sister to be the make-up artist in "Hannah's Salon."

Leah wants to be a doctor so she can help people; she wants to be able to help her sister when she is ill.

Their parents noted that, “The sisters support each other all the time. Leah is always looking out for her sister. She is very protective of Hannah. They keep each other company. When having a conversation with anyone, Leah would always try to explain or repeat what the person is saying, if Hannah doesn't understand.”

Hannah and Leah support each other in everything they do. - Joshua Bhagwandeen

World’s Children Day 2021's theme,"Unite to Reverse the Impact of Covid19 Pandemic on Children," serves as a reminder that covid19 has far-reaching effects on children’s physical and mental health. Like other children, the sisters faced challenges of dealing with and living in the pandemic. Their mother noted that, “They are home almost all the time, but they make up games and try to occupy themselves.

"Schoolwork is a bit challenging; learning virtually is not ideal for them. I know they miss their friends; they miss socialising. We miss the beach. Ever since Hannah's transplants, the family would always go to the beach, at least every other week.” With covid all that has changed.

Hannah’s parents advised other children to “keep working hard – this doesn't mean just school- or housework, it can mean working hard at being a good person, a caring person, to do the best you can do to help others around you. Be kind, to others and to yourself, be positive. There is a bright future for you. Keep an open communication with your God and your parents.”

The girls have important messages for other children as well. Leah said, “I would tell other children not to be bullies. Don't hate anyone and don't judge before you get to know someone.”

Hannah's message to other children: “Don't be mean to people and don't be fake friends. Even though some people are different we are still people and we have feelings. Try to be nice to everyone.”

Despite all the challenges Hannah has continued to excel and with Leah at her side, she is growing up to be an amazing young lady. Happy World Children’s Day to Hannah and Leah and all our nation’s children.

Dr Radica Mahase is the founder/director of Support Autism T&T

Comments

"Don’t underestimate our children"

More in this section