local press and now her plight has gained the attention of the
international press. Several media outlets have featured her today.
Rhama was born a healthy baby but when she turned six months old her
growth came to a sudden halt and she stopped growing. The teenage girl
has no limbs and suffers constant pain, as she lives most of her life in
a plastic bowl.
Her dad says he has spent 15 years and close to 1 million naira
searching for a cure on case which has never been professionally
diagnosed, but still no hope in sight. However, despite her disability
her parents say she is a bright and happy girl.
Read via Daily Mail which featured her on their site today;
Her mother, Fadi, said:
‘From six months when she learnt how to sit that was when it began.
She didn’t learn how to crawl.’She started with a fever and that was
it. Then stomach pains. Then her body parts like hands and legs. She
cannot use any if the ache strikes.’
Rahma’s family do their best to provide her with a fulfilling life and transport her around the village in a plastic bowl.
Rahma said: ‘They help me a lot. How do they? They give me anything I need.’
She is particularly close to her 10-year-old brother Fahad, who dotes on his older sister.
Fahad said: ‘I help her in many ways. Bathing her is another thing I do.
And taking her out everyday.“I feel happy whenever I see people helping
her. I like taking to our relatives. She feels happy when we visit
them.’
The cause of Rahma’s condition is unknown, despite her family working hard to secure a diagnosis.
Rahma’s father, Hussaini, explained:
‘I’ve spent 15 years searching for the cure. I farm, go to the
market and lots more looking for money to pay for her bills. “I sold
almost everything in my possession. I have spent more than one million
naira (£2,600), so far. Only God knows the real amount of what I had
spent.’
Doctors have been baffled by Rahma’s condition and some have even put it
down to the teenager being struck down by a jinn – a supernatural being
in Islam mythology.
Her family hope to get the attention of a charity or medical specialist who can help with the teen’s daily pain.
She recently received some generous gifts after being featured in the
local press such as a donation of a wheelchair – and they have already
made a big difference.
Her mother added: ‘We once went to a supermarket and we met someone who bought her wheels.
‘He snapped our photo and it was published in the local papers. Since then we have been getting help from people.’
And
despite the daily challenges Rahma faces, the brave teenager is full of
hope for her future and dreams of opening her own shop.
She said: ‘I thank God in everything I do.
‘I want to start a business. A grocery store and anything people buy, that is what I want.’