LORESCO

3BSN-2
Revisiting Junaisa, a little girl with polio
6 February 2020

Along the corridor of the PGH Access, the hospital’s center for children with disabilities, Junaisa was
practicing how to walk with her new leg braces. Smiling, she carefully took one step at a time while
holding on to a walker. Her mother Salma followed closely, helping
her balance after each step.

Salma was happy with Junaisa’s improvement, “Now she can

somehow walk, unlike before, when she kept losing balance. If you
assist her, she can now keep herself upright.”
When we visited their family in Lanao del Sur last October 2019,
Junaisa stayed in bed most of the time. The girl needed her mother’s
help in sitting down.

Junaisa’s progress had been more evident after two weeks at the
center. “Now, she’s stronger. She can roll and crawl. If she wants to
sit down, she can now do it by herself,” Salma said.
Polio is a disease that disables children permanently, usually in the
legs. Rehabilitation through therapy and assistive devices like braces help polio survivors improve their
mobility. These devices also prevent deformities, which typically occur when paralyzed limbs become
fixed in one position. Early intervention helps polio survivors like Junaisa cope with disability and gain
their best possible physical function.These interventions, however, can take a financial toll on families
taking care of children with polio. Assistive devices have to be refitted or changed as the child grows.

Aside from leg braces, PGH Access also provided Junaisa with a customized walker and a wheelchair. All
these were provided for free as Junaisa is the first beneficiary of the Philippine Health Insurance’s
(Philhealth) mobility package for children with disabilities. She is also entitled to free assistive devices
until she is 18 years old.

For Salma, seeing Junaisa walk is a step towards her dream. She wanted her little girl to be with other kids
and finish her education, “Maybe the miracle is about to come – that she can walk on her own, even if
with a limp. When she can walk, we can already enroll her in school.”

Salma emphasized an essential reminder for parents: “Children should really be immunized. Vaccines are
needed so our children will not get sick.”

https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/revisiting-junaisa-a-little-girl-with-polio
LORESCO
3BSN-2

Reflection

Philippines has been polio free since 2001 until cases was reported in North Cotabato. Junaisa, a 3-year-
old polio survivor, has been suffering from paralysis and is crippling since then because of the
disease―Polio has paralyzed her permanently.

Thanks to the emergence and transcendental help of science and its resulting technology, Junaisa has had
her 1st step again. She was given a leg brace for both of her legs that will assist her and will help her to
walk again. She was also given walkers to help with her and guide her into walking again. I think the
inclusion of walker is a good thing because with it, patients can be less dependent to assistance and it
speeds up patients to walk independently again.

The downside of having braces is that it requires an upgrade, especially for young patients, to adjust the
braces to their body’s specification―for Junaisa’s case since she is still young, she will need to change
her braces and walker ones she starts growing it out. The required change of the equipments are
burdensome to the family in terms of financially. They are lucky that it is included in her insurance
package provided by PhilHealth.

Because of the braces and walker, Junaisa will not stay in her bed and be carried forever by parents, she
took her first steps and she will continue taking steps until she can stand up and walk with her own again.

It is fascinating how simple pieces of metals and tweaks from science can largely change and improve an
individual’s life. Those simple leg braces may just be pieces of metals for some, but for Junaisa and her
family these metals is her stepping stones to live her life again one step at a time.

https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/revisiting-junaisa-a-little-girl-with-polio