Page 13 - aruba-today-20180824

A13
Friday 24 august 2018

Micky’s Foundation helps Little Miss Sunshine

dren with severe medical ized therapy to 73 children
conditions is limited. But since 2015. The projects of
fortunately this island is Micky’s Foundation are
filled with loving and car- 100% sponsored by the
ing people that go the ex- community. Together with
tra mile to help in any way the parents they form a
they can. Gijs Rooijer is one support group to help each
of these people. Rooijer other in periods of their lives
experienced a life chang- which are characterized
ing incident when his son by despair, distress, a gen-
Micky, who was only five- eral lack of information and
months-old at the time, solitude.
was involved in a severe
accident when a drunk The main focus of the pre-
driver crashed into their verbal pediatric therapist
car. Micky survived the and the ergo therapist is
accident, but due to the helping the children by pro-
severity of the brain injury viding them with opportuni-
he will remain with only 40% ties to develop at their own
of his brain capacity for pace. They both know the
the rest of his life. Because circumstances on the island
of the limited resources on before theyarrive, but for
the island, Rooijer had to them it’s important to work
work with what he had and with whatever tool is avail-
make the best of it. This also able at that moment with-
gave him the idea to start a out having to set aside the
Foundation that could offer children’s development.
as much help as possible to They use their knowledge
parents and children going and techniques to help Isla
thru such medical condi- develop as much as possi-
tions. Each project consists ble. Isla has been taught to
of helping between 20-25 use her hands more, taught
children. For each project, how to eat with a fork and
they seek for therapist such is able now to work on an
ORANJESTAD — Aruba To- movement, and motor skills clever girl. All this would not as pediatric physiothera- I-pad. They have installed
day had the honor to meet (the ability to move in a co- have been possible without pist, pre verbal speech several apps that makes
a little girl named Isla. With ordinated and purposeful the efforts of her parents of therapist and pediatric it possible for the parents
her beautiful big eyes and way). It is usually caused by course but also thanks to a ergo therapist willing to of Isla to help her and at
a smile that lights up an en- brain damage that hap- wonderful foundation that come to the island for 2 to the same time understand
tire room we can easily call pens before or during a is giving them a helping 3 months and provide their what Isla wants.
her “Little Miss Sunshine”. baby's birth, or during the hand in her development. expertise in order to help
Isla was born premature first 3 to 5 years of a child's We live on an island where these children. The founda- Continued on Page 14
and 5 days later, Isla was life. We can only imagine medical resources for chil- tion has provided special-
diagnosed with Cerebral how heartbreaking that
Palsy (CP). Micky’s Foun- must have been for her
dation was founded in 2014 parents. But Isla could not
and their objective is to be have asked for better par-
able to provide specialized ents. The love of daddy
and intensive therapy at Juan and mommy Tatiana
the homes of the children, for her is unconditional
for free. Since 2014 they and they go day-by-day
have organized 10 proj- doing their utmost to pro-
ects. Inger Ruight a pre- vide Isla with a better life.
verbal pediatric therapist Isla is developing greatly.
and Esther van Schelden an She likes to eat a lot. Pop-
ergo therapist from Holland corn and cookies are her
are on the island and work- favorites. What a beauti-
ing with Micky’s Foundation ful sound of voice she has.
and are part of project # 10. She enlightened us with
They both have been work- her favorite song “head,
ing very close to Little Miss shoulder, knees and toes”.
Sunshine, Isla. Isla can count perfectly
from 1 to 10. This adorable
Cerebral Palsy is disorder girl can communicate in 4
that affects muscle tone, languages. She’s quite a