Can You Help Banu?

DATELINE DESA MENTARI, PETALING JAYA:

HER NAME IS NOR SAHEERA BANU. 

She is only nine-years old. 

However, she can't do what most other girls her age do. 

She can't say "Amma" (Tamil for mother) or "Appa" (father) because she can't speak. 

She can't even move her body or sit up unless her mother carries her up.

She lies there all day and night - either on the sofa or in her bed. She has no friends and virtually no life.

She can only cling on to the love that her parents can only offer her.

Banu suffers from a condition called "cerebral palsy" or CP.  

CP is a physical condition involving permanent tightening of the muscles which is caused by damage to the brain around or before the time of birth.

The only thing that Banu can do is to let out a beautiful smile that lightens up her whole face, causing her face and body to twitch in delight.

Petpositive visited Banu last Saturday in one of the poorest parts of PJ and discovered that she has three able-bodied siblings who also need help.

John's mother is unable to work because she has to look after her disabled daughter 24/7. Her father survives only through the income of odd jobs that he is able to do. 

The family live in a dilapidated flat although they try to keep their home bright and cheerful. 

Petpositive received an SOS call from someone in the flats saying that Banu badly needs a wheelchair. 

"My daughter is getting heavier now that she is growing up so much so that I am not able to carry her anymore," her mother told us when we visited her. 

"The Welfare is giving us RM100 a month as financial aid," Banu's mum told us. "But that's not enough for the food and pampers that we need for our disabled daughter," she added. 

"We need at least another RM100 to make the life of our daughter a little more comfortable. 

"When we approached the Welfare last month to ask for an extra hundred, we were told by the department in Selangor that 'we should be lucky that we managed to give them any aid at all'."

Petpositive is currently working on the following for Banu:

1. Get medical and other experts to visit Banu to professionally assess the best kind of children's wheelchair for her needs.
2. Set up regular follow up visits with doctors from Pusat Perubatan University Malaya.
3. Get MBPJ's (local city council) van to take her to her appointment.
4. Look into volunteers to 'adopt' Banu to see what other things they can do for her as well as offer relieve for her caregiver mother. We hope that someone who can at least offer to take mum and daughter out for an social evening at least once a month to add some cheer to the little girl's heart.
5. Look for someone to commit providing diapers for Banu each month which cost RM320.00.
6. Look for someone to donate RM100 a month for Nestum and other children's food.
7. Look for someone to donate her the wheelchair that she needs for mobility.
8. Look into offering a suitable pet or regular exposure to pets for animal-assisted therapy.       

If you think you can help, kindly email us at petpositive@yahoo.com or call us: 012 220 3146.

Thank you. Please watch this space for further updates on Banu.



PET+BLOGSPOT is an ACTIVE ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive). We strive to keep our reports and stories CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then is now 55,000 and counting. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Sometimes even twice and three times a day. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook as PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Thank you for your support.