Meet Nkazimulo Mphego, the bravest teenager you will ever encounter.
At the age of seven months, she contracted meningitis with secondary brain damage, leaving her with severe grade 5 cerebral palsy. This meant that she had deformities of all 4 limbs and was, for all intents and purposes, a quadruplegic. She is incredibly intelligent and severely frustrated, having being caught in a non-functional body and having to be fed and looked after 24/7.
She presented to OHH in 2021 with a disclocated left hip and severe pain with spinal scoliosis and muscle contractures on her lower legs, and both her feet and hands had deformities. This was no small task, and we set off to gather funds for her two-stage, 7-hour reconstructive surgery. With our partners at Ndlovu Care Group, from whom she was referred, we were able to raise the necessary funds, and over the past two years, she had multiple surgeries.
We did major surgery on her left hip, literally breaking it and fixing it in a better position. Muscles were lengthened in the legs, both feet were operated on and achilles tendons were were lengthened in the first surgery. During the second surgery, almost a year to the day, both her wrists had tendon transfers and reconstruction, after which she had both arms in casts for 6 weeks.
Rehabilitation after surgery is crucial, so when we fitted her with a custom-made wheelchair in a purple hue of her choosing, we finally helped her sit up and look the world around her in the eyes. So many partners, sponsors and medical teams contributed to Nkazimulo’s success story! She went from bedridden, deformed and in pain, to happy, upright, painless and back to school. Her determination and spirit has inspired us in our mission to continue #ChangingLives!
