'My pikin tori ginger me to begin make artificial legs for children wey no fit waka'

Olaronke Alo

Broadcast Journalist, BBC News Pidgin

"Wen dem give birth to her, she bin no get bone for her leg and dis be dey very difficult for me and my husband."

Crystal Chigbu tok as she narrate di tori of her pikin wey dem born without shinbone. 

“Wen dem tell me say dem go amputate my daughter leg, I first run comot , I disappear. Beulah na my first child. I neva hear dat kain tin before, e no dey my family. 

Crystal siddon wit BBC Pidgin to tori about her and her family life change as a result of her experience and dat of her baby wey dem later amputate her leg and she no come fit waka again.

“Before den, I neva even see pesin wey dem born wit dat kain condition or wey dem comot dia leg.

For road, I dey see pipo wey get one hand or one leg but I neva tink am say e go fit happun to me. E bin dey devastating. I ask God wetin I do am.?"

'Di first day I see my pikin stand on her own, I cry'

For community wey pipo dey like tok put mata wey dem no understand and wey discrimination against pesins wey dey live wit disabilty plenty, Crystal tok about di challenges she take eye see ontop di mata of her pikin.

She say wen dem do di amputation of dia daughter leg, some pipo bin tink say dem sin against God, na im make am give am di kind of pikin wey get dis kain condition.

"Before dem give my daughter artificial leg, we bin dey carry her dey waka upandan and pipo go dey always ask why dem still dey carry pikin wey don grow like dat.

Dem tok say we dey spoil am. Most times I no dey sabi wetin to tok.”

Crystal say di first day she see her pikin fit stand on her own as dem later install artificial leg for her she cry.

“She wear her school uniform, stand on her prosthetic leg and I begin cry and dey laugh at di same time”, Crystal tok.

She say as she see her daughter begin waka wit di prosthetic leg, she later begin laugh because na freedom for her and her husband.

Dis na wetin Crystal say e ginger am to begin help oda children wey dia parent dey face di same tin wey she face.

How Crystal begin help oda children

Crystal Chigbu dey run one foundation wey dey provide recycled prosthetics and oda walking aids to children wey dey 18 years and below.

Na her daughter wey dem born without shinbone inspire dis initiative.

Afta her experience, Crystal Chigbu start di foundation wey dey helep oda children wey no fit waka wit dia two legs or get hands.

"We see say e get oda children wey be say dem fit born dem like dat or maybe dem get accident wey make dem cut dia hands or leg comot.

I begin follow dia parents tok to see how we fit make life beta for dem”, Crystal tok.

Crystal say she decide to leave her full time job to focus on helping amputated children because e dey make her happy 

“E dey make me happy to see oda children wey don get leg dey waka 

Di way we dey do di artificial limb na to first tink of wetin go benefit di pikin."

Crystal say dem get technical crew dem wey specialise to make sure say di artificial leg wey dem do go fit di pikin wey dem wan give.

Wen di pikin try use di leg , we go test am to see say e don dey perfect. E fit no be like di leg or hand wey dem get before but wen di pikin waka, you no go sabi say sometin dey wrong with di leg.

She say di pipo wey benefit from am still fit dey do wetin dem still dey do before amputation, even if no be to di fullest.

"Some of dem still fit run, play ball and do oda activities wit di prosthetic legs we dey give dem." She tok.

‘Pikin wit artificial hand or leg still fit live life to di fullest'

Say pikin get amputated leg no mean say na end of di world. Crystal tok from her experience.

For her tori, she say wit artificial leg, her daughter still fit swim, ride bicycle and do oda activities wey pikin fit do.

“Any child still fit be di best ever. We don hear stories of different pipo wey no get two legs or two hands and dem dey do well and live complete lives

Some of di children wey we don help, some say dem wan be doctors, some wan be lawyers and dem bin tink say dia disability fit stop dia dream.

“Before we give dem di artificial leg or hand, we dey first give dem psychosocial support to change dia mind , make dem no dey focus on di disability and focus on wetin dem fit be."

According to Crystal Chigbu, over 300 children na im she don help to give free artificial leg or hand across Nigeria since she start her foundation. 

She also add say sometimes, she dey prioritize to help children wey don reach di age to go school and also check di complexity of di disability before dem decide which pikin she go first get help.

Wetin to know before your child use prosthetic

For any pikin to decide to wear artificial leg or hand wey dem call prosthetic, e go depend on wetin dem wan do.

Prosthesis be replacement for any part of di body wey fit dey miss at birth, or part of di body wey dem fit don lose sake of accident or through amputation

As a first step, parent or guardian go first discuss wit di prosthetic provider wetin be di child aim and need so dem fit find di most suitable device.

For example: if pikin get lower limb difference den a prosthetic leg fit help wit mobility and di way dem dey go around dia home, school or community. Most pipo wit lower limb differences dey use prosthesis every day. 

Anoda tin to note be say, di kain prosthesis wey children dey use dey depend on dia age and dia level of mobility. 

For younger children, prosthetic dey really basic. As dem dey grow, dem go get wider choice of prosthetic wey dey available.

Prosthesis dey help disabled children to cope beta wit day-to-day activities, but e dey take time to get used to am. So dem go need regular check-ups, and maybe adjustments, to make di prosthesis as comfortable and useful as possible for dem.