Saturday, September 15, 2007
Today has been really fufilling, unlike all the other days i spent rotting.
Went to RDA today!! =D This is definitely what I had been waiting for! The horses, the smell... Ahhh.... =) I did the morning session and met up with most of the "Friday people" I've known since the last time I volunteered there. The children we will be having on Fridays until the end of term 4 are from the Spastic Children's Association of Singapore(SCAS). SCAS is an organization which helps children with Cerebral Palsy.
What is Cerebral Palsy?"
Cerebral Palsy" is an inclusive term used to describe a group of non-progressive disorders occurring in young children in which damage to the brain causes impairment of motor function. The degree of the disabilities ranges from extreme tightness or looseness of the muscles of the body, improper head, shoulder or hip control to slight speech impairment. It is not curable. This can happen before or during birth or some illness or injury of the child early in life.
(taken from SCAS website)
Took this little girl called Charmaine for the first session. She is wheelchair-bound and has very weak muscles in her neck and back. Her head was flopping even when she was not wearing the helmet. Imagine how she must have felt when she had to put on the helmet, which I can say, is not exactly the lightest thing. She also had to wear a brace to keep her back up during the session. Despite her weak muscles, she tried really hard to keep her back straight and her head up so she could see what was going on. She's a strong little girl. Her persevereance was really admirable. Let me tell you, even though she could not really speak, she knew how to convey her feelings very well. When she was up on Laurie, she kept looking to me and Jaime, smiling, enjoying herself. That's the best part of this whole thing I guess, seeing that look on their faces. It's priceless. The fufilment it gives is really something different.
For the second session, we took a boy called Sufi. His condition is not as severe as Charmaine's. He could walk on his own and speak well. He was really looking forward to being on a horse again. The excitement in his eyes, the smile when we pointed out to him the horse he was going to ride, the look on his face when he finally mounted Rama. It's just a joy to see them so happy.
Okay... After the session when the children had all left, I went to the stables and talked to the horses, patted their muzzles and well, talked to them some more. Hahas... Then they were fed and started to ignore me so I left them to eat their hay in peace and went out to sit at the table. It was raining, so I waited for the rain to stop before I went home. By the time I left, the rest of the volunteers were long gone.
When I reached home, I was really tired... Had my lunch and went to take a nap... Then I played with my bunnies for a while before coming to use the computer.
Alright... Dad's home and it's time for dinner..
Signing off,
LeyinG
| 10:24 AM |
