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c i t r 49 weekender october 28 1995 p21 people child expected never to walk approaches 16th birthday by kate gilderdale correspondent lb the casual observer azeem kayum is a goodlooking young man with a finely developed sense of humor and a warm engaging per sonality lb those who know him and his family he is a walking talking mira cle whom doctors predicted would not survive his first year azeem who celebrates his 16th birthday dec 8 was born paralyzed from the neck down and required a battery of life support systems to keep him alive his mother laila vividly recalls the day of his birth they told me that he wasnt well and they would like permission to transfer him to the hospital for sick children when we started asking what was wrong nobody could answer answers continued to elude them as laila arid her husband faizal struggled to come to terms with their sons plight three months after his birth one of the doctors acknowl edged that azeems condition could have occurred during delivery the familys experiences have been documented in lailas moving book for a breath of life after numer ous questions and much prying we learned that azeem suffered from a very rare disease his mother wrote his condition arises from a neuro logical lesion in the brain stem and can be the result of high cervical cord damage because the lesion inter feres with his ability to breathe auto matically azeem must rely on a ven tilator at night the bottom line is every night he has got to be hooked up to the machme explained faizal he may look fine during the day but at night its a constant worry a lot of times mucus gets into the tubes and it has to be suctioned off every so often as well azeeiri has a portable device for emergency day time use and constant vigilance is essential to his wellbeing his disposition has always remained quite optimistic and positive and that has helped us cope stressed his father if he was bitter it would be very discouraging for us the firsf 376 days of azeems life were spent at sick kids during that time he underwent constant tests battled severe pneumonia and suf- ileanor fulcher international models markham office free octure series 1 international model scout traute sffibert speaks on how to get the right start in the modelling business some spaces still available call to start your new career mow 9054716268 spa it stactauy downtown 416022194s azeem kayum and his mother laila photbsjoerd witteveen never walk or talk took his first fered a series of cardiac arrests a few weeks before his second birthday however the boy one neurologist predicted would steps when he was twoandahalf his parents took him to visit family in trinidad but he had to be flown back to sick kids by ambulance after being taken ill five days before the family was idue fto return home he suf fered two cardiac arrests and was comatose for almost two weeks in april 1982 he underwent a tracheostomy to create an open ing in his throat for the inser tion of a breathing tube the problems he faces both physically and developmentally impose their own restrictions he has been under 24hour supervision most of his life faizal pointed out he hasnt had a chance to get out there and make mistakes he always has somebody with him azeem attends markville high school and has a nurse with him during the day and although he has made astonish ing progress the kayums keep hoping for another miracle which would allow their son the independence and future prospects enjoyed by his peers ive gotten used to my disabil ity and i can live with it but i do get frustrated especially in my school work he said i havent got too much free time because im busy studying or doing homework but life is by no means all work and no play he admitted with a cheerful grin some times especially on the week ends i do find myself in front of the tvwatching wrestling aportion of the proceeds from the sales of tor a breath of life will be donated to the hospital for sick children copies are 1498 including gstj and can be obtained by calling 6420002 no reasonable 1 tgjffsw mattresses j i at ontarios lowest prices no no rst on any mattress set foo double vm zi t mmi j3 ii 20 year guarantee i 30 year guarantee i 30 year guarantee iirrfl 1 i ll 312 coil side support single set m 2800 double set 7800 queen set 21800 510 coil v damask covering single set double set queen set 510 coil thick quilting damask covering single set double set queen set mktiiiiifiiifiifipiffiihtiiifiiifiifie pillow top 740 coils damask covering double set queen set 6 thick high density foam single set double set queen set mmiinie 8 thick hard density foam single set double set s queen set 39800 1 laweygss black or white aisot and save vktoruiii i markham bedding company 0kennedy rd hy i zels plaza bgfcnm west side just south of hwy 7 9ffu 09 l hours mon fru18 sat 116 sun 125 cheque or cash w9hwr7 markham beddmg tmtlmmtfm