By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
President of Cerebral Palsy Ghana, Rachel Naa Korkoi Quaye Narh, has shed light on the pervasive stigma faced by families living with cerebral palsy during an interview on GTV’s Breakfast Show.
Her poignant account highlights the urgent need for societal change and greater understanding.
“Stigmatisation should stop. It’s that bad. There was a time when I used to live at Spintex. I had to take my child for physiotherapy at 37. The trotro conductor told me, ‘Madam, if you can’t pay for the seat beside you, please get out.’ Can you imagine? If I didn’t have the money to pay for that seat, my son would have been deprived of his therapy,” Miss Narh expressed, her voice filled with emotion. She recounted her experiences as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy and the challenges she faced in public spaces.
Miss Narh emphasized that misconceptions about cerebral palsy contribute to the stigma. “People should understand that it doesn’t mean that when you come close to me with a child, you’re also going to give birth to a child with cerebral palsy. It’s not transferable. If your child plays with my child, your child is not going to be affected. It’s not like a cough,” she explained.
The emotional toll of living with cerebral palsy extends beyond societal judgment. Miss Narh shared her struggles as a mother witnessing her child’s limitations. “Seeing your child not being able to do things that other children do alone is sad. Sometimes, I wish my son could recite poems like others do. He tries to whisper something to me, but because his speech is not clear, you need to just accept and appreciate that he’s trying to communicate,” she said.
Miss Narh’s plea for empathy and understanding resonates deeply. “We are just like anybody else. I didn’t try to abort him or take any medication. He was my baby,” she asserted, calling for society to embrace those living with disabilities rather than ostracize them.
As Miss Narh concluded her interview, it became evident that the fight against stigma is far from over. “We are already in that kind of pain and torture. Let’s break the silence and support one another,” she urged.
