Jillian Quinn, Assistant Director of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children’s Medical Daycare Program, poses with Muhammad Zunair.
Photo by Alice Moreno
March is World Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. According to the Cerebral Palsy Guide, approximately 1 million people are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy in the U.S., and 18 million people are diagnosed with it worldwide. It is known as the most common motor disability,
in which it affects movement, muscle tone and posture. Green is the official color of Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, which symbolizes youthfulness and hope for advancements in treatment and acceptance.
Muhammad Zunair, a patient at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children in Bayside, lives with cerebral palsy. His mission is to spread awareness of the disability, showing what it is like to live with it.
Zunair, known as “Zani” to his peers, is a 28-year-old living in Elmhurst. He was diagnosed with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (in which he has trouble controlling muscle movement) at one year old. Living in Pakistan at the time, his mother saw that he could not hold up his neck. Unfortunately,there were limited resources at the time on cerebral palsy. They subsequently moved to the United Kingdom, where they did a variety of tests on him. Unable to find anything, they moved to the U.S. in 1998, where he was officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Muhammed Zunair as a baby. Photo courtesy of Iqra Waheed
His hobbies include writing (in which he hopes to be published one day), traveling and spending time with family. He spends most of his time at St. Mary’s, where he attends their young adult program. He receives physical, occupational and speech therapy. He also partakes in recreational activities, such as arts and crafts. He also plans to attend university and play football.
Muhammad Zunair in 2005. Photo courtesy of Iqra Waheed
To communicate, Zunair uses a device called Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC). Shaped like an iPad, it is customizable to the person’s needs and wants. Some words and sentences are built in for him, such as his address, birthdate and hobbies. There are different ways to use the device: some use their eyes and others use a switch, but Zunair types on it.
In early March, Zunair reached out to Jillian Quinn, Assistant Director of the Medical Daycare Program, via email about ideas to spread awareness on World Cerebral Palsy Day, which was March 25.
“[Zunair] told me that the whole department in the facility should wear green. He [also] told me that we should try to raise awareness, [and] try to raise money,” said Quinn. “And to do social media posts on [cerebral palsy] awareness.”
Zunair’s vision is to see how his life goes by 2027, in which he said he is embracing growth, challenges and new opportunities along the way. His story is one of resilience – his disability does not stop him from fully living his life.
“Don’t give up on me,” said Zunair, using his AAC device. “Together, we’ll overcome and inspire.”