BY JAMES MUYANWA
A TWENTY-nine-year-old woman has been ditched by her fiancé after giving birth to a limbless baby boy.
Melody Miyoba of Sigwidi village in Chief Bright Nalubamba’s area in Namwala district was betrothed to Trust Michelo who has, however, changed his mind following the birth of his limbless son, Blessings.
Ms Miyoba and Mr Michelo’s brother, Mayuni Habansimbi confirmed this to Sunday Times of Zambia in Lusaka during the week.
“He does not want me now as he says that the child is not his because of the disability. He does not want anything to do with me and yet he had promised to marry me before I got pregnant by him,” she said during the interview at Sunday Times offices.
She said Mr Michelo was afraid of the having a child leaving the disability and did not want the people to laugh at him that why he decided to leave her insisting that he was Blessings’ father.
Blessings was born on June 23 2008 without limbs, the situation medical experts at University Teaching Hospital (UTH) describe as a near total amenia or absence of all four limbs.
Ms Miyoba who is currently keeping up at 85/37 Old Kanyama Township at her former fiancé’s brother, said for her as the name entails, Blessings was a blessing from God and she was proud of him despite the disabilities.
She is, therefore, requesting for assistance from medical experts for gadgets to help the baby as well as financial support to enable continue looking after the baby who frequently required specialized medical attention.
Mr Habasimbi 28, said he was ashamed of his elder brother for denying his own baby and pledged support to the child whenever he can manage.
He said he had allowed Ms Miyoba and the baby to stay at his home because he, unlike his elder brother, was more widely exposed and excepted people living with disabled as just as human.
Mr Habasimbi said his brother was supposed to take Ms Miyoba as the second wife and all the necessary Tonga procedures had been followed.
He, however, changed his mind upon the birth of Blessings and was currently in Mukonchi area in Kapiri Mposhi with the first wife.
Mr Habasimbi, who is a smalltime businessperson, said Ms Miyoba and baby are stigmatized whenever they are back home in village because of the ignorance of the people.
“Some people don’t even want to use the cup which Blessings uses. They take such disabilities as a curse or some bad luck,” he said.
According to a medical report by signed by UTH’s Dr Chowa, Blessings “condition is extremely difficult to survive especially in a poor social economic status that the mother finds herself in.”
He says that Blessings needs special custom made orthopaedic appliances at each stage of his growth, which makes more expensive.
“Since there is no manufacture of such appliances in Zambia, the child will have to be sent abroad for needs assessment and technology intervention. We are yet to identify a possible destination for such intervention.
“At this moment the mother has immediate money needs of, stay in Lusaka, food, transport etc while we make contacts across the globe,” states the medical report addressed to whom it may concern.
Ends
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