Cairo Visit
Neurological Specialist:
Met the doctor on Saturday. Had an appointment at 9-pm which was changed to 11-pm. It was almost 2-am by the time we got to see him. He is Cairo’s top Neurological specialist and has patients coming in from many countries like Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Dubai and many more. People wait to see him until early hours of the mornings.
Ali’s father introduced me to the doctor. The doctor has not seen Ali since he was six, twelve years ago. The doctor went through with me the early conditions of Ali, about his Cerebral Palsy, that his legs were crossed, his eyes were crossed, and that he had an operation to remove a blocked actuary or vein below this navel to help with his blood circulation. I asked the doctor many questions and all his answers were what I wanted to hear and were positive. That the connections from Ali’s brain to his left leg were not severed and can be worked on for improvement, that his arm which is not straight at the moment can be improved with physiotherapy.
For me it was great meeting such a doctor and when we parted, he said it was a pleasure meeting me. How very nice and civilised coming from such an eminent doctor.
Eyes Hospital:
Went to the eye hospital that dealt with Ali’s case. Ali has had an operation to correct his cross-eyed situation but now, one of his eyes points slightly in a different direction than the other but not very much. We asked whether Ali might have an operation to correct his eye direction, whether laser treatment might help with his eyesight and what sort of glasses would he need. The eye doctor said that correcting his eye direction by surgery might not be permanent. That it would not improve his sight and would only be for cosmetic reasons. He said that Ali does not really have much of a problem and looks ok and is best left alone. The doctor also said that laser treatment would not be a good idea. Ali then had an eye test so that we can get him a new pair of glasses.
Shopping:
While looking around the shops in Cairo, we managed to find some very nice trainer shoes for Ali; he let me choose from a few I thought were nice. We took a pair that had a very good inside. The first time Ali wore them, he said that he is now able to walk flat in them, that his foot is not arched.
All in all, the visit to Cairo had turned out to be good for everyone, most importantly for Ali and his father and for me knowing that what I have been doing is good and that we can improve Ali’s life. I liked what the doctor told me and I am very positive now in how I can further help Ali.
It has been an amazing family experience I have never seen before. When I was taking a meal with Ali’s family in Qurna before the coach departure, so many of his family, uncles, aunts, cousins brothers and sisters all came round to wish Ali well; dozens of them. They had organised a min bus to take us to the coach and two uncles waited with us until the bus departed. When we got into in Cairo, Akmed, Ali’s father and his brother were waiting for us in a car. I met so many more of his family and all of them were so hospitable.