An angel sent in the guise of a daughter
Eva’s family firmly believes that almighty God has sent them an angel in the guise of their daughter, they want nothing more than for her to be loved and allowed to grow into herself
At the age of 13, Eva was diagnosed with hyperactive autistic tendencies. She is restless, speaks unclearly, listens to heavy metal rock music with high volume and keeps dancing without end.
Eva had suffered traumatic experiences from the mouths and hands of her neighbours. She eventually lost trust in them and gradually started to withdraw within herself, afraid of everybody else, even her close family members.
Her parents first became worried when she could not learn to walk even at the age of five. Finally, when Eva learnt to walk at the age of six, she still rarely talked or played with the other children of her community.
Eva's parents are from a lower middle class family and are not highly educated. They felt helpless and started to look for suggestions. They went to several doctors and tried many medications, to no avail.
Later, one of their acquaintances told them that there is a school for kids with special needs in town. Eventually her parents had her admitted to that school.
She could not perform any of her basic, daily necessities herself like using the toilet, dressing up, eating etc before being admitted to that school. Her family was amazed and relaxed to see that their daughter could be taught and raised positively. Hope was restored within her parents when they saw the improvement she had achieved within only a year. Now, she can manage most of her day by herself, requiring much less assistance than before.
To be fair it is not like Eva manages all those activities to perfection every time, but she tries and wishes to do it all by herself. Now she wants to play with the other kids around her and likes her school and teachers very much.
Eva's family firmly believes that almighty God has sent them an angel in the guise of their daughter, they want nothing more than for her to be loved and allowed to grow into herself.
Joya Korem is a freelance documentary photographer, author and social worker. She is the founder Chairperson of 'Let's break the silence', a voluntary social movement to create positive awareness and advocating for the children with special needs.
