A Burnaby mom wants the public to know how important it is to donate to Variety – the Children’s Charity after being on the receiving end of multiple grants over the years.
Wafa, who did not want to include her last name for privacy reasons, is a single mother of three children. Two of them have special needs.
Eleven-year-old Mariam has Down syndrome and has the abilities of a four-year-old, according to an assessment done last year. She has some hearing loss and cataracts, and she could potentially go blind one day.
Mohammed, 2, has a brain malformation and global development delay. Mohammed is missing his cerebellum, the part of the brain that’s responsible for some cognitive functions, balance and posture. His muscle tone is very low, which causes him to wobble.
“It’s very difficult,” Wafa said of trying to raise her young family while working full-time.
The family is originally from Palestine, a country Wafa said didn’t have the proper therapies for children with special needs. Wafa and her husband (the pair split last year) came to Burnaby seven years ago as skilled workers. With no friends and no family, life was hard, she said.
As a newcomer, she told the NOW no one informed her of the resources available to kids with Down syndrome.
It wasn’t until the family applied for a Variety grant one year later that things started to change for the better. She received enough money to cover occupational therapy sessions for her daughter.
Thanks to the funding, Wafa has seen a boost in self-esteem in Mariam, who she said is “smart, lovely and a bit of a trouble maker.”
“She’s able to pronounce words clearly, to understand concepts that are essential, like clean versus not clean, and good versus bad. She can sing, too,” she said. “She knows how to write her name, phone number, our address. She knows how to count up until 20.”
Variety has also helped Mohammed. The charity has helped pay for hydrotherapy, where he exercises in a pool to build muscle strength.
“Hopefully after a few years, it will help him be more steady and strong,” said his mom.
Without Variety, Wafa said she’s not sure where she’d be.
“Living in this country is very expensive. I still have to pay for rent, for a car. Before September, I paid for childcare. It’s too much to handle,” she added.
The Variety Show of Hearts telethon, which raises money to help B.C.’s special needs children, is on Feb. 12. The eight-hour broadcast will share stories, like Wafa’s, and have live performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Donations can be made online at variety.bc.ca, toll-free by phone at 604-310-KIDS or by texting KIDS to 45678 (an automatic $20 contribution will be made).
