Mother Feels Devastated After Giving Birth to Infant with Progeria, a Rapid Ageing Condition

• Recently, Briefly News interviewed a 20-year-old mother who gave birth to a baby with a rare disorder called Progeria which causes rapid ageing
• The family is struggling and has even asked the Health Department to assist them with bills due to the baby's disorder
• The mother and grandmother of the newborn are ashamed by her and are hoping that the government can assist them by taking her away

By Akhona Mongameli - Freelance journalist

According to medical experts, Progeria is a genetic disorder that causes infants to grow very old at a much faster rate from birth.

In Libode just outside of Mthatha in the OR Tambo region, on 26 June the family of Mtshobi saw themselves giving care to their infant, who was born with Progeria, and life has since been intense in the family.

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There is confusion as this is the first time such a situation has been encountered in this family and they have no answers about what the trigger could have been.

The grandmother Ntombizakhe Mtshobi, who is 55 years old, says that this is so hard to accept. It's never been seen before that a two-month-old baby looks this old.

"We have become the laughing stock of the community, I have so many kids and I am not employed and now this happens."

She says that the only question she has is how will the child grow up to be?

"When I hold her, I burst into tears," are the words of the devastated grandmother.

Briefly News spoke to 20-year-old Ongeziwe Mtshobi, the mother, who said she was not expecting her child to have any disorders.

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"This is my first child, I expected a baby that will make me happy, I don't know how I will live a life with a child that is already looking this old at two months."

Ongeziwe says she needs mental counselling and psychological help to be able to deal with this.

Her two-month-old baby, Onesipho, which means 'the gifted one', is already an outcast in the community, compared to something that is not human, yet her name carries so much weight and volume.

Her child was given a home birth and only recently Onesipho had to be taken to hospital for procedural medical observation after birth. It was then that the Libode community learnt of the condition known as Progeria.

Mr Petros Majola of the Khula Community project, a leader in the fight against human inequality and human rights in the Eastern Cape, shared in a video clip that he is urging communities to embrace uncontrollable conditions such as that of Onesipho.

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"Poor people continue to be victims of prejudice and not being taken into much consideration," he said.

Doctors say that the condition can unfortunately not be cured but through medical observations, it can be monitored. This can also be done by checking whether the heart and blood vessels are healthy.

The community is calling on the health department to intervene as Progeria requires intensive medical attention for the child.

Mom, 20, gives birth to daughter with rare condition known as Progeria

Briefly News previously covered the news of the baby's rare condition. Children born with the rare condition known as Progeria suffer from rapid ageing, according to reports by DispatchLIVE.

Noticeable signs were identified by local midwives as the child displayed deformations in her hands along with wrinkles on her skin. The little girl is currently in hospital with her mother where she can be monitored.

Social Development spokesperson Mzukisi Solani holds the belief that the mother, family and the community collectively need assistance, additionally, the Human Settlements Department has approached the family to make sure that the child has an appropriate home to be raised in.

Source: Briefly News