In April, this five year old who suffers from cerebral palsy caught the attention of the founder of MCF, Helen Boyle, while she was visiting one of the MCF sponsored schools. Helen first noticed the young boy was being carried by his mother. Upon finding out that Hu Yi Fan had an ailment, Helen organised a consultation at the Beijing United Hospital and Hu Yi Fan underwent preliminary tests to determine the extent of his illness on May 13th. After a small amount of playful attention while waiting to be seen by the doctor, little Hu Yi Fan came out of his shell and into mirthful laughter and delight, captivating the hearts of all concerned.

On May 20th, he returned to the hospital to undergo an MRI brain scan. After these checks the extent of Fan Fan’s cerebral palsy was determined as well as a further diagnosis of epilepsy. On May 21st, he took part in his first ever therapy session. Thanks to the generosity of Beijing United Hospital and Beijing United Foundaiton, Fan Fan will receive one and a half hours of speech and physical therapy twice a week, for as long as improvement in his condition continues. A magnificent response of commitment and generosity by those that organised these sessions.

Fan Fan has continued to improve on his journey of rehabilitation through physiotherapy. On June 30th, a smiling and excited Fan Fan exhibited signs of significant improvement in enhanced range and scale of movement. His mother, Yanyun, is also receiving counselling on how she can help her son improve by doing daily exercises between physiotherapy visits. Speech therapy has also worked some magic as his communication skills continue to improve.

These therapies have combined to offer Fan Fan a greater quality of life. When MCF first met the five-year old, he was being carried by his mother, who was his only mode of transport. Now, he can stand on his own and is excitingly trying to walk with the aid of specially created walking shoes that provide his body support.

“I just don’t know what I would have done without MCF.”

– Hu Yanyun

In December, Fan Fan’s mother brought him to school to visit Helen and the difference in him was amazing! From being unable to walk, meaning his mother needed to carry him everywhere, and not being able to talk, Fan Fan was now walking by himself with just one hand holding onto his mother’s. Not only this, but he was also able to say simple words like ‘baba’ and ‘mama’. We are so pleased with the progress he has made and we hope with the continued support of MCF he will continue to improve.

 

Updates:

  • Today 14th June 2017, Fan Fan has moved on to another chapter in his improvements and development. Besides the therapy he is receiving care of Beijing United Hospital and Foundation, he undertook his first lesson in ridding a horse. This was a sight to behold. The care and attention he was given by his instructor was only matched by his own sheer excitement and enjoyment at this new experience. Riding a horse has great advantages for people that suffer from cerebral palsy and develops their ability for balance and movement. The plan is for Fan Fan to attend lessons provided by the H.O.P.E. organization every week under their sponsorship. I would like to make a special mention of Priscilla, the founder of H.O.P.E, Manuela the instructor and Luna, all of whom made today’s activity possible.