Suboor’s Story

Suboor is 9 years old and has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. It is the most severe form of Cerebral Palsy, affecting all four limbs, the torso, and the neck, and characterised by frequent involuntary movement of the limbs. Suboor’s father has health problems of his own, caused by inhaling toxic methyl isocyanate gas from the Union Carbide factory on the night of December 2nd, 1984. Nearly 3 decades later, his experiences of that night would again return to haunt him on the day his son was born. As his wife Kherunnissa cradled the infant Suboor in her arms, they saw that their child’s limbs were twisted in an unusual way. As the months past Suboor’s neck remained too weak to support the weight of his head, and when he reached one year old Kherunnissa made the decision to bring him to the Chingari clinic for help.

The physiotherapists at Chingari are accustomed to working with children with all forms of Cerebral Palsy, and create targeted treatment programs for each child. Their priority with Suboor was to help him strengthen his neck muscles. With a daily course of exercises, after a period of months Suboor was able to hold his neck and keep his head straight. Next, they began work with Suboor to help him better control his limbs and reduce involuntary movement. Over the course of seven years, Suboor has achieved an independent high sitting position, is able to squat with only minimal support, and significantly reduced movement in his arms has allowed him better control over his arms and hands. Due to the quadriplegic nature of his condition, it is unlikely he will never learn to walk independently, but the hope is that with continued therapy he will continue to improve his mobility and hand function.

Suboor loves attending Chingari with his mother Kherunnissa and seeing all the other children. He particularly enjoys watching when they play cricket and football.

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