For 3-year-old Elijah Cottle, every movement is an achievement and a moment to cherish for his family.
In August, a day after his 3rd birthday, Elijah was diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare polio-like condition that led to a sudden paralysis from his waist down.
The news stunned his family who soon found themselves swamped by hospital bills and in need of help (“Elijah needs a helping hand,” Sentinel News, September 23).
Two months later, and the plucky 3-year-old has already started showing some positive signs of recovery, lifting his family’s spirits.
“Elijah is doing well and he has adjusted to life from a wheelchair and is fully participating in all of his therapies. Initially he wasn’t very keen on the therapist and his new routine, but he actually gets excited to see them,” said his mother, Courtney Matthei.
Elijah has regained movement in his right foot and ankle, his trunk is a lot stronger and he can now sit upright unassisted.
“There has also been some movement is his glutes and hips. It’s small progress, but he has come a long way in a short amount of time,” said Ms Matthei.
“Initially it was very stressful and heartbreaking. The mental shift and just needing to accept that our life now involves a wheelchair was difficult, but we have adjusted to our new normal now.”
It was challenging to balance all of Elijah’s needs and make sure his younger brother, Isaiah, wasn’t neglected, said Ms Matthei, adding, “but I think we have found a way to juggle it”.
Ms Matthei said Elijah’s BackaBuddy campaign had received quite a few donations but had since slowed down a lot even though the family were not out of the woods.
The family held a high-tea fund-raiser in October and are now running a raffle, which ends on Thursday December 15.
“We have had support but haven’t quite reached the target amount. After the festive season, we are going to need to hit the drawing board and come up with new fund-raisers,” Ms Matthei said.
To help Elijah with his recovery, visit the BackaBuddy website or WhatsApp his mother at 082 491 0029.
