From Maurice Okafor,Enugu.
People with spinal cord injuries can still survive and live meaningful productive life in the society. This encouragement is coming from a non- governmental and non-profit making Organization known as,”Rebuilding Hope on Wheels Initiative”(RHOWI).
The NGO founded by Hajia Amina Audu is currently touring Orthopedic hospitals across the country,encouraging patients with such injuries to concur with the instructions from the doctors treating them,stating the whole idea will help them to recover the series of sense organs that eventually will enable their systems to function once again.
The NGO whose emphasis is more on how to improve the lives of people with disabilities, particularly those with spinal cord Inujuries and Dysfunction (SCI/D) gave the advice to spinal cord injury patients at National Orthopedic Hospital Enugu during their recent visit said that having spinal cord injuries does not mean the end of such persons life.They equally splashed the patients with lots of gifts. .
The South East coordinator of RHOWI Ejikeme Fineglo said the organization is promoting social inclusion and removing barriers for people on wheelchair to participate in social and occupational activities like any other citizen
“RHOWI has engaged relevant stakeholders since it’s inception to change the directional way of treating people with spinal cord injuries and Dysfunction to specific rehabilitation that teaches people with the injury on how to live life after spinal cord injuries” Ejike said.
“We want to give hope and prepare the survivors and their families for the not too pleasant journey of spinal cord injury which most of our peer supporters have lived through and forged ahead with their lives despite the trauma posed by the injury”
He said that coming to the hospital was among other things to give those spinal cord injuries people orientation, ” our primary aim is to make them understand that they are some people who have been in the stage they are now and today living their life. We want to assure them that they can still be useful to themselves and the society at large .
“You don’t need to kill your self or take your life” Narrating what happened to him, He Said he was asulted by a group of people when he was living in the north for a little misunderstanding which turned into a flight , unfortunately they hid his head on the ground and that compressed his spine from the back , affecting his grip and since then he continue to manage life like that since 2006 till now.
He told the people that spinal cord injuries treatment is a continues thing, because the nerves are always hot once it is injured .
He advised spinal cord injuries to belong to a group that would be reminding them of what to do at a particular point in time, like physiotherapy, so the treatment continues’ they are various degrees of injuries that could be discussed together as a group and solutions are preferred
Earning a living, “that is what we are saying that one should not kill himself this other Friend of mine is a music producer and my self I do some businesses online
Our women are traders of various good our aim is to give hope to spinal cord injury person’s. We are not totally invalid we do a lot of things to support our selves”.
