Tisha Ricketts
“I Don’t Want Fame, I Want to Live” says Shamla Maharaj, a young Trinidadian woman with Cerebral Palsy, a disease that severely restricts movement of the body.
And yet most of know that the fame that she rejects will be given to others who do not deserve it. How many of us will see her video interviews on Youtube compared to videos like that Fake Jamaican Man Getting Slap Over A Railing?
As I struggle to tell Shamla Maharaj’s story, I realized that it is not that I am lucky to be “normal” BUT that Shamla’s story is about HUMILITY.
So please listen to Shamla tells her story in her own words:
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T&T student with cerebral palsy defies challenges to earn degree at UWI – Stabroek News
The moment brought tears to mothers eyes, after all, she stayed up with her for three years and even lived with her at Milner Hall because there are things she cannot do for herself. While she was in primary school, teachers always gave her an A, when she went to the secondary school too, she always did well, Maharaj said. Alleynes service also extended to the United Nations when he served as Petroleum Adviser to the Government of Kenya from 1980-1982. T&T student with cerebral palsy defies challenges to earn degree at UWI – Stabroek News
OT and HOPE by Shamla Maharaj
Therapy in general in Trinidad and Tobago has always been a luxury service offered to very few who could afford it one and who can access it two. Shamla Maharaj was born with Cerebral Palsy back in 1985 and it happened as a result of negligence during birth. This resulted in her unable to walk, control, and her body movements and has control of only one side of her body. OT and HOPE by Shamla Maharaj
Close up with Shamla Maharaj at the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum
We caught up with her to find out more What lessons have you learnt from your work as a Social Ambassador in your native Trinidad and Tobago that people in similar situations around the world might find useful? I have also learnt through my interaction that the work done by governments and corporate bodies is not reaching the targeted groups. For instance parents of children with disabilities often seek information through me on if their child can get an education or available therapist and how they go about accessing these intuitions (I too never had the opportunity to receive any form of therapy). Close up with Shamla Maharaj at the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum
Images credit stabroeknews.com, ttota.com, unesco.org
