KEEP WALKING, QATRINA

Qatrina is a bubbly, adoring 7 year old Singaporean girl. She is also very courageous. This courage has been tested beyond what one would wish for a kid of her age. In early 2016, when her parents got concerned about her gait, she was diagnosed with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), a rare disease which compromises the control over her legs.

Two individuals afflicted with the same condition here in Singapore, after having befriended her on Facebook, visited the family and confirmed her challenge: In order to retain her mobility, she must keep moving, just like they did, no matter how tiring.

Qatrina has amazing stamina, but she does get tired. Her Paediatrician, Dr. Jeremy Lin of NUH, linked us up with the family. He has been a long time supporter of the Voyar project, providing expertise and encouragement as well as access to his team of therapists. He was convinced that the FROG walker could help Qatrina to move about independantly and take rests when necessary. Now Qatrina is one of the early users of the Voyar FROG outside of hospital and therapy center trials.

When we handed the walker over to the family, it was a delight to see how well Qatrina could manoeuvre it, making figure eights in the living room, taking spontaneous rests without assistance and getting up again to roam around further. She will now use the walker outdoors and in school, where so far she had to use a wheel chair which restricted her mobility and autonomy.

In spite of it all, Qatrina is very lucky, because she has a family who is able to provide tremendous support. Since support can never be enough in such a situation, the family has opened up to the public to share her story on Qatrina’s Facebook page. Now she has over 5000 FB friends and a strong following which acts as a moral support group. She is also an inspiration for all who follow her story, when we are grappling with our daily challenges, to always get up and move again. At  Voyar we are blessed to be now part of her community.

Visit her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/qatrinayusri