Story 22 – Wei Ying

Wei Ying lives in Guangxi, with her parents and her grandmother, a family of 6 members.  She is the eldest among the 3 children. Wei Ying was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy.  It is a form of cerebral palsy that causes muscle stiffness and spasms in a person’s legs and, sometimes, arms.  Wei Ying had contracture in the knee and foot deformity, which meant that she was unable to straighten her knee and had tightness in her hamstring.  She also had a rocker bottom deformity in her right foot (sole of feet are curved outwards).  Wei Ying could walk on level ground, but unstable and fell often. Her self-esteem was very low and restrained herself a lot at school.

Wei Ying’s family was a low income family and their earnings were unstable. Financial help was needed for Wei Ying’s surgeries. With the help of the Cornerstone Association and SRDC, she was able to have her surgeries in the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital in 2018 when she was 11 years old. The surgeries helped release the tightness in her hamstrings, allowing her to extend her knee and walk comfortably, lengthen her calf muscles for her to flex her knees and foot, and improve her foot function, reducing any pain.

6 months after the surgeries, Wei Ying was able to walk with good pattern, knees straight and heel on the ground.  She can walk indoors without aid, outdoors with two sticks for safety reasons, and up and down stairs with the help of the railing and one stick. Wei Ying had reported, overall, being happier and more positive, her mother also reported that her academic performance had improved significantly since her recovery.