Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
EVERY morning, long before the rest of the neighbourhood stirs to life, Ms Patience Rumbidzai Mutero begins a routine that has become, both an expression of unconditional love, and a stark reminder of the challenges her family faces every day.
Her first task is always the same — checking on her seven-year-old son, Inan Gwarimbo.
With gentle care, she cleans him, prepares his feed and ensures that the tube attached to his stomach is functioning properly. Every step must be done with precision because Inan’s wellbeing depends on it.
While many children his age wake up excited for school, eager to play with friends and explore the world around them, Inan’s reality is very different. Most days, he remains confined to a sofa inside the family’s modest home in Destiny, Hobhouse, relying almost entirely on his mother for comfort, nourishment and care.
For Ms Mutero, each day is a relentless balancing act. She must devote herself to caring for a child with complex medical needs, while also trying to provide for him and his two brothers in the face of mounting financial pressures.
Inan was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement, coordination and speech. The disorder has also made it difficult for him to feed normally, forcing doctors to insert a feeding tube to ensure he receives the nutrition he needs.
As the years have passed, his health challenges have grown more complex. Besides cerebral palsy, Inan has been diagnosed with epilepsy, diabetes and other medical complications that have turned childhood into a series of hospital visits, medical procedures and daily medication.
For his mother, the journey has been one marked by resilience and sacrifice. Every day presents new obstacles, from securing medical supplies and paying for treatment to managing the emotional toll of watching her son struggle with conditions that many people can scarcely imagine.
Yet despite the hardships, Ms Mutero remains steadfast.
Driven by a mother’s love and determination, she continues to provide the round-the-clock care that keeps Inan comfortable and gives him a chance at a better quality of life — even as the family faces a constant battle against illness, uncertainty and financial strain.
“I have three boys, but my last born, Inan, has been the biggest test of my life. He cannot sit, walk and talk. He depends on me for almost everything. Sometimes when I look into his eyes, I can see that he wants to play with his peers. He wants to be part of the world outside, but I keep him indoors because I worry that other children may not understand or know how to handle him,” said Ms Mutero.
Inan’s journey began with a difficult birth.
Ms Mutero said her son did not cry immediately after being born.
He started crying after six weeks.
“He struggled to feed from the beginning. He could not suckle breast milk, so we had to help him drink milk. Later, doctors told us that he had brain damage and cerebral palsy,” she said about the diagnosis that changed the family’s life forever, adding that doctors warned her that raising a son with such condition would be difficult, and encouraged her to quickly accept the reality.
“At first, I could not accept it. I became depressed because I was afraid of what his future would look like. He was so small and fragile. I was afraid to hold him because I thought I might hurt him,” she said, adding that during that difficult period, her mother became her pillar of strength, helping her bathe and dress Inan while she struggled emotionally.
However, repeated hospital visits and meeting other parents raising children with similar conditions slowly helped her come to terms with reality.
“Being in and out of hospitals introduced me to other parents who had children like mine. They gave me hope, and showed me that I was not alone. Slowly, I accepted my son’s condition, and decided to give him the best life I could,” she said.
Feeding Inan remains one of her biggest challenges.
Because he cannot swallow properly, doctors inserted a gastrostomy tube into his stomach to allow food to pass directly.
Inan is supposed to be fed a nutritional supplement known as PediaSure, which costs about US$18 a small bottle. She cannot afford it.
“He is supposed to get proper supplements, but I do not have the money. I survive on vending, so I feed him thin porridge or mahewu through the tube because that is what I can afford,” she said, further explaining that Inan needs blended food, but the family does not have electricity or a blender to prepare the meals properly.
“I give him about 180ml of porridge at a time. I feed him around 7am, 10am, 1pm and 6pm. I know it is not enough, but I am doing what I can with the little that I have,” she said.
The feeding tube, which is replaced every six months, costs about US$65, another expense that adds pressure to the already struggling household.
Being a single mother, Ms Mutero has had to carry the responsibility of raising her son alone.
She said Inan’s father left while she was pregnant, and stopped providing support after learning about his condition.
“When he heard that the baby had health problems, he turned his back on us. He does not contribute towards his children’s welfare, so everything depends on me,” she said.
To survive, Ms Mutero sells fresh produce, but her work comes with painful compromises. Because Inan cannot control his neck and the tube on his stomach makes carrying him difficult. She is forced to leave him alone when she goes out to earn money.
“We do not have a wheelchair, and for all these seven years he has spent his life mostly on the sofa. When I go to buy vegetables or sell my produce, I sometimes have to leave him inside the house alone because I have no other option. I cannot carry him on my back because his neck is not stable. I also cannot always ask someone to watch him because people are afraid something might happen while he is in their care,” she said.
The situation becomes more difficult when emergencies strike.
“The worst moments are when he gets sick at midnight. I have to look for someone to take us to hospital. Sometimes people hesitate to help because they fear what might happen if the child dies in their vehicle,” she said.
Despite the hardships, Ms Mutero said she remains grateful for the emotional support she receives from relatives and neighbours, including members of Inan’s father’s family.
“They encourage me, but financially they are also struggling. Everyone is trying to survive,” she said.
Her neighbour, Mrs Leticia Muwawa, said the family’s situation requires urgent assistance.
“It is painful to watch. Patience practically stays in the hospital with her child because every few weeks he needs medical attention. She needs support so that she can also live a comfortable life with her son,” she said.
Ms Mutero is appealing to well-wishers, organisations and individuals who may be able to assist her family.
She is looking for a wheelchair for Inan, diapers, his prescribed nutritional supplements, dressing supplies, assistance with accommodation and support to start an income-generating project that would allow her to stay close to her son while earning a living.
“My wish is to see my child comfortable. I want him to have a wheelchair so that he can move around and experience life outside this house,” she said.
She also hopes that one day Inan can access specialised treatment that may help improve his neck control.
Those willing to assist Ms Mutero can contact her on 0773282821 (Patience Rumbidzai Mutero).
Moffat Mungazi