SHE’S unable to crawl, walk, talk or chew and life has many challenges – yet the little girl’s family regard her as a blessing and even a miracle.
When Zephira Chetty was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder her parents were told she wouldn’t live past the age of five. Now she’s six and her family are doing everything to ensure she’s as comfortable and happy as possible.
Zephira, who’s from Durban, has Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), a condition that causes physical, intellectual and behavioural issues. Symptoms range from mild to severe and include feeding difficulties, muscle weakness, seizures, speech and developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder and some physical abnormalities.
The disorder is also called 22q13.3 deletion syndrome because
