Irlanda Murillo Valdez
Little Irlanda had a very tough start in life. She was born prematurely by cesarean section at just 6 months and was placed on a ventilator for 2 months. During this time, she suffered multiple infections and also came down with ischemia in her feet, which meant that she lost all her toes. Luckily Irlanda pulled through and survived. Her parents brought her to Pasitos de Luz when she was 4 years old. She is now 5.
Diagnosis
Added to the complications that she experienced at birth, Irlanda was subsequently diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia, a subset of spastic Cerebral Palsy that affects all four limbs (both arms and legs). Irlanda was very late in learning how to crawl, and still struggles with this. When she arrived at Pasitos de Luz, her neck was very limp, while her arms and legs were extremely stiff.
Therapies
Irlanda has been coming to Pasitos de Luz for over a year now and has already made great progress. Thanks to regular physiotherapy, she is now better able to control her neck and upper body. She can also sit up by herself. We have now set some very clear goals for Irlanda. We want to support her to be able to stand with assistance, to have better balance and to crawl with more confidence. Ultimately, we want Irlanda to walk by herself, which is something her parents say would be a dream come true.
Family life
Irlanda comes from a very big family. She is the youngest of 12 children and has a sister, Fernanda, who also comes to Pasitos de Luz. Her family is from Puerto Vallarta.
