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| July 2015 -
Case History - Kyolaba Margaret |
| Kyolaba
Margaret is a 13 year old girl who came from Nakasongola
district which is in the Northern part of Uganda and was
identified by the Acheru community outreach team which is based
there. Her family are peasant farmers and she is one of 6
children. She was admitted to Acheru on 3rd February 2015 with a
deformity in both knees which started at the age of 5 years. The
family did not seek any mediation for Margaret before coming to
Acheru. |
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Before
treatment
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| Her mother
informed us that Margret was born normally and was just like any
other child, however she did not walk until she was 5 years old.
As Margaret grew, so did the problem. As she got bigger, her
legs continued to grow towards each other and knocked together
when she walked, this became very painful. This cost Margaret
her education as she could no longer walk to school. The family
kept her at home, doing some simple chores, but the pain did not
subside. Other than painkillers, Margaret was not given any
medication for the pain as the family did not seek any medical
help for her. The family did not have enough money to seek
treatment and her father did not see it as a priority. Not being
able to attend school was not a major issue as women are
considered to be a source of wealth in their local culture due
to the dowry system. Her father believed that any man could take
her as a wife even though she had a disability compared to a boy
who would have to work hard to take care of a family. He had
little consideration for the pain that Margaret was in. |
| Thanks to the
work of the community team in the North, Margaret was offered
the much needed help she had longed for. She told Acheru staff
that she was so hurt to be only referred to as ‘omulema’
which means lame person in Luganda but now after treatment she
could return home as a new person with her own name once again. |
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After
Surgery
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