I was born on 4 May 1953 in a small town in the countryside of South Africa. At the age of about 7 months I was in my pram and trying to stand up and my one leg folded underneath me and I started to cry my head off. They took me to the local doctor; and the found doctor found that my femur was broken. After about 3 months the same thing happened. My parents took me to the doctor's house on his farm. The doctor was puzzled about my leg breaking so easily. My Mom was wearing a bright blue coat. He asked her to stand away from me. He looked at my eyes, went to his books and took one out. He opened the book at OI and showed my parents the symptoms and that is when I was diagnosed with OI (Osteogenesis Imperfecta). If you want to know more about Osteogenesis Imperfecta click here.
My parents took me to several doctors but the answer was the same. There is nothing they can do. I have OI Type 1 and there is no one in both sides of my family with OI.
During my preschool years my parents kept me in a walking ring, but still my femurs broke by a slight bump of the leg or just stumbling.
At the age of 4 both my femurs were rodded. The doctor told my parents that the rods will prevent the breaking of my legs. No such thing. About a month after the operations my one femur broke. What the rods help with, is preventing the replacement of the bone when it broke and I did not need a cast.
I went to an ordinary school. It was possible because I could walk and my dad was a teacher at the same school.
From the age of 10 I started to wear legbraces which could not bend at the knees and had to use a walker to walk or my dad carried me. That made me very immobile. At the age of 13 I got crutches. Since then I just went on. I was still handicapped by stairs.
The school was only up to grade 10. For grade 11 & 12 (matric) I had to go to boarding school. Lichly for me it was not far from home and everyone knew me and help where they could.