The story was originally published on Page 38 of Task Force Bangon Marawi 1st Semester Magazine.
Saripa Abdullah, 66, is a survivor. In the past decade, she both survived the five-month battle in Marawi City and her personal struggle against multiple strokes. Even she is armored with a positive outlook, Saripa couldn’t help but lose hope sometimes as her medical condition worsens day by day. She cannot move the way she used to anymore.
Prior to the Marawi Siege in 2017, her family lives in Sabala Manao Proper where they sell cellphone covers, slippers, and other merchandise. She was already a stroke survivor back then, but can still move around a bit inside their house.
After the war, they had to leave home as the community was heavily destroyed, now known as one of the Marawi City’s Most Affected Areas (MAA). They are now living in Sagonsongan Transitory Shelter Area 2.
Her medical condition became worse amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020, when she had a cardiac arrest. She couldn’t even hold a spoon. Her face has become skewed, and her speech slurred. Her family couldn’t take her to the hospital as they are afraid to be infected by COVID-19.
Every day, she wants to carry her grandchildren in her arms, prepare their feeding bottles, and do some household chores. However, she has already lost most of the strength in her legs and arms.
Most of her energy was spent creeping on the wall to move from one corner of the room to another.
“I barely have any breath left to even turn the doorknob,” she said.
Her expensive maintenance medications were also piling up. Some of them, such as inhalers, were not available in Marawi City.
A little help goes a long way
In May 2021, during the Marawi Week of Peace celebration, Saripa received a wheelchair from the Marawi Recovery Project (MRP) of the Community and Family Services International (CFSI) and the Australian Government. She said she can finally move around the house better.
Whenever she goes to places with her wheelchair, Saripa shared that she is treated better.
“I get prioritized when I fall in line because they recognize that I am a PWD (person with disability). This makes me forget my pain and my condition, at least for a while,” she shared.
Her daughter, Norhaynie Abdullah Ali, was also a recipient of a printer and laminating machine livelihood support from MRP.
Norhaynie also attended the Psychosocial Education to Caregivers of Persons with Disability (PWD) session led by CFSI on May 17 in Sagonsongan Transitory Shelter during the Marawi Week of Peace.
In the session, she shared that she learned how to do Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) exercises for stroke patients like her mother.
Such exercises help improve muscle strength, balance, and movement. It also helps patients recover from the physical effects of a stroke and prevent another stroke from happening.
“I remembered the demonstration done in the sessions and how to take care of the patient,” Norhaynie said.
She added that she has been doing the exercises with her mother regularly to help ease the discomfort.
“I can now lift my arms high up again and hold things properly,” Saripa said with a smile.
Marawi Week of Peace
The distribution of assistive devices, livelihood support, and psychoeducation sessions was part of the MRP activities conducted during the Marawi Week of Peace from 17 to 23 May.
Several psychosocial support sessions for mothers, children, and PWDs with their caregivers were also conducted throughout the week.
On the final day of the commemoration, CFSI participated in the booth display where it showcased the care packages distributed to vulnerable locally stranded individuals (LSIs). The care packages are part of the interventions of the Marawi COVID Recovery Project (MCRP) still in partnership with the Australian Government.
The MRP and MCRP are projects implemented by CFSI with support from the Australian Government that aims to rebuild lives of Marawi Siege survivors and those affected by the pandemic. The projects will continue until December 2021 and June 2023, respectively. #