A BETTER LIFE FOR ELIJAH

A rare condition means this little boy can't bend his arms and legs, but his parents are doing everything they can to give him a normal life

- JACQUES MYBURGH

HE SITS snugly on his mom’s lap, eyes glued to the coffee cup in front of her. With a loving smile Michanka van Zyl scoops some milk froth with a teaspoon and feeds it to her son who eagerly slurps it up.

Even though he’s a year old, Elijah can’t lift a spoon to his mouth by himself. In fact, his mother explains, he can’t move anything towards his mouth so she’s taught him to lean forward and eat his food straight from the bowl.

It’s the only option for the little boy, who isn’t able to do things other kids his age take for granted.

But while Elijah’s body limits him in so many ways, there’s clearly nothing wrong with his mind. His curious eyes dart this way and that way, taking in everything happening around him. And his hands are always trying to grab whatever’s within his reach – from a pencil to his mom’s cellphone.

Yet Elijah can’t bend his limbs and his feet point inward, which means he can’t crawl, walk or explore the world like other tots.

“It’s very frustrating for him,” Michanka (34) says. “It breaks my heart to see how much he wants to stand up and walk, but he simply can’t.”

Elijah was born with arthrogryposis, a rare condition that results in stiff joints and prevents his arms from bending at the elbows and legs from bending at the knees. The little boy’s fingers are also so rigid he can pick up objects only by pinching them between his thumbs.

There’s no cure for arthrogryposis, but what makes life even harder for Elijah and his family is that there are no medical experts in SA who understand the condition, which is thought to affect one in every 3 000 newborns worldwide.