Family First is a charitable organisation that is passionate about supporting families who have children with complex medical needs and disabilities in Kumasi, Ghana.
Paul
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Prior to Co-founding Family First Ghana, I worked predominantly in an Orphanage in Kumasi. I met Paul for the first time in 2013, and what an amazing boy he was. The most loving and caring child, he wanted lots of cuddles and would spend a lot of the day looking after the toddlers or children with special needs. He was very happy and independent in the home, despite the large tumours growing on his face which had caused him to lose his vision.
I spent a lot of time with Paul, in the sensory room that I created in the orphanage interacting and stimulating his senses. Paul was such an incredibly intelligent boy who loved to learn, he wanted to know colours, numbers, and had such a good rhythm playing music. We also went for assessments at KATH and got a diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis, type 1. The following year, I spent a lot of time researching, conversing with some of the top professionals in NF and fundraising to try and get Paul the medical care that he needed. We managed to find surgeons who were able to do initial surgery in Kumasi, however sadly there are not many resources for such complex medical needs in Ghana.
During this time, I wrote blogs to raise awareness and a fantastic couple from America read about Paul’s situation, they offered advice to support for Paul during his time in the children’s home and in 2015 adopted Paul. Paul moved to America with Scott and Jane and their dog Burnee. I still visit Paul regularly and he is doing fantastically well, he is under the care of John Hopkin Hospital, he attends school learning English, Braille and even a bit of Spanish, he regularly receives awards to show his brilliance. Paul’s musical ability continues to flourish and he plays piano, guitar, drums and sings, he really has fantastic rhythm and an ear for music.
Paul is loved unconditionally by his new family and I love to see the difference to Paul’s life, he is extremely happy and is a great inspiration to me.
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