Bermuda Parent Bermuda Parent Spring 2015 | Page 26

pregnancy
Real
Families, Real Stories
BY ALICIA RESNIK
The
Ke’Nahri Story
armen Furbert knew some-
thing was wrong with her son
Ke’Nahri. “At 5 months old he
wasn’t moving. His neck was
stuck to the left all day, every
day,” she said. At his regular checkup,
the single mother of two brought
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up her concerns. She was initially
told that everything was fine with
Ke’Nahri and that children develop at
their own rate.
Ms. Furbert persisted. “I know
my child and I knew something was
wrong. I have a daughter. I was famil-
iar with what should be happening.”
Ms. Furbert said Ke’Nahri was very
stiff, that he didn’t move and hardly
made any noise. She was referred
to the Child Development Program
where Ke’Nahri was diagnosed with
Torticollis. Torticollis, also referred to
as “wry neck”, is a condition where the
neck is twisted - the head is tipped to
one side with the chin turned to the
other. If not treated, Torticollis may
lead to developmental delays in gross
motor skills.
As soon as the diagnosis was made,
Ke’Nahri began a program of physical
therapy. “He’s been doing physiothera-
py since he was 5 months old,” says Ms.
Furbert. She shared that all the things
a baby normally does, Ke’Nahri had
to be taught. “He had to learn to roll,
sit up, crawl, clap, and grab things.
He even had to learn how to move
his arms and legs.” With the help of
weekly therapy sessions, Ke’Nahri can
“crawl like he’s a speeding car.” Ms.
Furbert credits their physiotherapist,
Alexander Wilberz, for Ke’Nahri’s suc-
cess. “Alex is wonderful. She’s brought
him a long way.”
The Family’s journey was difficult
in the beginning. Ms. Furbert admits
that it’s been overwhelming. She says
Ke’Nahri would often get frustrated
and tired. “It’s only me doing all of
this. His father isn’t involved in any
way. I’ve taken my mom to sessions to
show her what we do so that when she
has him she can do it too.” Ms. Furb-
ert’s says her daughter Ke’alah also at-
tends therapy sessions so she can help
her little brother.
Much of Ke’Nahri’s work is repeti-
tive. In addition to his therapy sessions,
Ms. Furbert says they do a lot of the
necessary exercises at home. “I have
to roll him over and if he doesn’t do
it, I have to roll him over again.” Ms.