Brave limbless girl’s big progress
Felicity is embracing life, thanks to the love of her foster mom
SHE loves her Minnie Mouse chair and pretty pink bedroom, wearing dresses with flowers on them and putting cute clips and bows in her hair. In other words, she’s just like any five-year-old girl – right down to the mom who loves her just the way she is. “What did Mommy teach you?” Karen Bruyere asks as little Felicity* hoists herself into her Minnie Mouse seat and, using her head for traction, manoeuvres herself onto her bed.
“God made me like this, so I’m special,” the little girl replies.
And Felicity is indeed a special child. She first touched hearts around the country when YOU reported on her in December 2013, telling the story of the baby born without legs and with only stumps for arms.
Abandoned when she was barely a week old Felicity found sanctuary at Tshwane Haven in Pretoria, a home run by big-hearted Karen, who for years has worked with doctors and specialists who send ailing premature babies to her.
“Felicity’s mother decided she wasn’t able to care for her,” Karen told us in 2013. “She was also afraid to take her back to Zimbabwe, where she’s from. She was afraid the baby would be killed.”
Felicity had been admitted to Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) and when Karen was called, it was love at first sight. “I took Felicity in my arms,” she recalls. “She looked at me with those bright eyes and that was it.”
Today Felicity is an independent little girl, brimming with determination and zest for life.
“She can bath herself and tries to get undressed herself,” Karen says. “She uses her left stump to do everything – colour, paint and feed herself. She’s much more mobile than she used to be.”
Felicity received prosthetic arms in 2013 but battled to get used to them. Practice sessions would often end in tears and frustration. She persevered for a year but gave up because the prostheses hurt her and were cumbersome.
Karen says Felicity copes well with her stumps, “She’s outgrown the prostheses anyway, so we’ve decided to wait a little longer and see how she copes without them.”
FFelicity with her foster mom, Karen Bruyere. She’s become quite independent, learning to bath herself and write her name. ELICITY is in Grade R at New Hope School for kids with special educational needs in Waterkloof, Pretoria, and is looking forward to starting “big school” there next year. “I use a special computer,” she explains. “They put a sticker on my head and then I play a game and I can move my head.”
Felicity loves going to school and playing with her friends, Karen says. “She doesn’t get teased. We had one encounter where a child at a birthday party was nasty to her but we went to speak to the father and he brought the child over to apologise. We try to nip that kind of thing in the bud.”
The sound of babies crying echoes through the haven and every few min-
utes there’s the pitter-patter of little feet on the laminated floors as a curious toddler walks into the lounge to see who these strangers are.
There are 16 children in the home, six of whom are toddlers. Felicity is very much at home here and especially enjoys playing with the toddlers. “She gives the little kids bottles and dummies when they cry and likes playing with 15-month-old Katy,” Karen says.
Felicity also has a favourite dog among the three pooches in the house – a 10-year-old black Labrador named Jet.
A typical day starts off with all the older children getting up and getting ready for school.
They have their cereal, then they’re collected by the school bus. The kids arrive back home around 1.30 pm and have lunch, after which Felicity spends the afternoon playing with the little ones.
Bath time is usually around 5 pm, then it’s time for dinner and lights out at 8 pm.
One of Felicity’s favourite activities is doing puzzles and she deftly uses her mouth and left stump to put the pieces into place. She does this while the older kids do their homework, during her afternoon play time.
“To me she’s always been a normal child,” Karen says.
BUT it isn’t always smooth sailing. “There are days when everybody’s screaming and fighting and days when Felicity gets frustrated, but for the most part we try to make her as independent as possible.
“To see the children thrive is one of the things that brings me joy – that and finding them good adoptive homes. It’s nice to give a child to someone who desperately wants a baby,” says Karen, who’s run Tshwane Haven for 10 years.
The home takes in children with medical problems, kids from abusive homes and premature babies.
“Here we try to stabilise the children so they can move to a home environment,” Karen adds.
She works closely with hospitals, particularly SBAH and Kalafong Hospital. Private doctors also contact her when problems arise.
“I believe God sends these sick children to me,” Karen told us in 2013.
Day-to-day operations at the home are a challenge in the current economic climate and money is tight.
Karen has to pay salaries to the five staff members – three during the week and two on weekends.
The home’s medical expenses are high and groceries, nappies, formula milk and clothing are always needed.
Felicity will also need special clothing made in preparation for Grade 1, Karen adds.
But she’ll make a plan – there’s no way her little girl won’t be there on her first day of big school. Felicity can’t wait to make new friends and learn to read and write. “I can already write my own name,” Felicity tells us proudly.
Karen smiles at her. “She’s such a clever little girl,” she says.
And Felicity nods her head in agreement. *Surname withheld for legal reasons.
‘She gives the little kids bottles and dummies when they cry’