The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
WHILE children are blessings from God and special gifts that bring great joy to their parents, Christine Muzvidza’s “blessings” invoke misery and pain.
Her three sons suffer from cerebral palsy (CP). Confined to a wheel chair, her 15-year-old boy is visibly fragile.
According to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, this condition is “marked by impaired muscle coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth”.
A visitor to a compound situated at the periphery of Harare’s Epworth suburb is immediately struck by the deathly silence that greets them.
During the time when most families are expected to be preparing evening meals, there is no sign of life at the Mazvidza homestead. Signs of life can only be noticed when one draws closer.
The Sunday Mail Society recently visited the family and Mazvidza shared her story.
The first born in a family of eight, two boys and six girls, the 37-year-old and four of her sisters have children with cerebral palsy.
Among the five sisters, are eight children – all boys -with cerebral palsy.
“All of us gave birth to male children with this condition. What makes everything strange is that my sisters have other children, who are girls. The girls are okay. As for the boys, they all have cerebral palsy.
“Growing up in Murehwa, all the sisters married in the village. But as fate would have it, they have all divorced, except for one.
“We have all divorced, except for Modesta, because our husbands could not handle these children,” she said, staring at the sky.
Modesta’s husband is said to have accepted the affliction and is supportive. Modesta has two girls, who are both normal, and two boys who have cerebral palsy.
Back in 2002, the siblings and their mother went in search of spiritual answers. They had to live at a shrine in Mutoko for a fortnight, but all they got were bitter concoctions which brought no solutions.
Citing a spiritual problem, the prophet they consulted is said to have requested that the father of the girls, Lameck Mazvidza, visit the shrine.
However, Lameck declined the request and died in 2004 before visiting the prophet. Facing discrimination in the village, Lameck’s wife, Petronella Mutasa, later relocated to Harare.
Mazvidza currently lives with her mother (Mutasa), four children, her two young brothers, her sister-in-law and a younger sister who is currently pregnant and going through a divorce.
This large family is housed in a tiny one-roomed cottage.
Mazvidza used to provide for them with proceeds from piece jobs until last year when she fell ill with severe back pains. Currently, it is Mutasa who is taking care of the entire household. She does piece jobs, mostly laundry, in exchange for groceries.
Mazvidza highlighted that their life is tough without a reliable source of income. Furthermore, the children with cerebral palsy need a lot of attention as they cannot do anything for themselves.
“All these children need attention because they cannot talk, they cannot relieve themselves properly or even tell you when they are hungry. So, it is up to us to have a timetable of feeding time, bath time, etcetera.
“Because of all this, it is difficult to find someone who can attend to them. Therefore, we cannot get proper employment,” she said.
The family now lives in isolation as they cannot attend gatherings or travel for days.
“My life is tough because I have to provide for my siblings and their children who live in Murehwa. Right now I am not well and cannot work. Mother has to work instead but because of age, she cannot do much,” she said, breaking into tears.
As she wept, her 10-year-old son, who suffers from the condition, stared helplessly with a troubled face, trying unsuccessfully to stretch his hand to comfort her.
While doctors have come up with medical explanations, the family thinks they are cursed.
Dr Takudzwa Mutsvanga, the chief executive of Biotech Health Group, said cerebral palsy is nothing new to society, although many are yet to embrace it.
He said cerebral palsy is a group of permanent motor disorders caused by an event during the period of rapid brain growth during pregnancy or labour, or shortly after birth.
“In Zimbabwe, the main causes of CP are birth asphyxia, which is prolonged labour, leading to reduced oxygen to the foetal brain and neonatal jaundice (yellowing of membranes that occurs soon after birth), causing kernicterus (brain damage),” said Dr Mutsvanga.
Infections during pregnancy can also cause CP.
“Symptoms can range from mild to severe, depending on severity of the cause. The symptoms usually appear later in the baby’s life through delayed milestones, weak or stiff arms/legs, speech delays, uncontrolled movements and swallowing problems,” he said.
Dr Mutsvanga said it is important to provide maximum care to children with CP and not assume that they do not know what is happening around them. He said they have normal intelligence, feelings and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) but are trapped in a poorly functioning body.
“The condition is permanent and therefore, lifelong physiotherapy is of great importance,” said the doctor.
In a case like that of the Mazvidza’s, Dr Mutsvanga said there are chances that it may have been a case of a misdiagnosis or diagnosis in progress.
“Hereditary or genetic factors play a minor role in CP but do predispose its occurrence. However in this case, other congenital muscular dystrophies have to be ruled out as they have a far much stronger genetic basis than CP,” he said.
