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Parents win battle for help with disabled baby

TT/Clara Guibourg
TT/Clara Guibourg - [email protected]
Parents win battle for help with disabled baby

Despite initially being denied help, a 15-months-old baby has now been granted a personal care assistant as the cerebral haemmorhage he suffered shortly after birth means he requires constant care.

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Albin and his twin Malte were born early, week 24, to parents Hanna and Markus Ekstrand Engdahl in Nyköping, in eastern Sweden. They spent their first months of life living in hospitals - four months at Akademiska Hospital in Uppsala, and another six at Mälarsjukhuset in Eskilstuna.

The premature birth caused Albin to suffer a cerebral haemmorhage, and today he breathes through a needle, which needs to be changed and cleaned regularly, through a hole in his throat, meaning he needs constant care.

Despite this, Nyköping municipality declined the parents’ initial request for a personal care assistant, reported local newspaper Södermanlands Nyheter.

Nyköping’s explanation for rejecting the application was that no babies are capable of everyday routines, such as going to the bathroom, washing, dressing themselves or eating. Therefore these problems were not specific for Albin.

However, Albin’s needs differ greatly from an average fifteen month-old. He can’t swallow, needs to be fed through a probe, and requires training with a physiotherapist to learn to lift his head and sit up.

Parents Hanna and Markus Ekstrand Engdahl appealed to Linköping’s administrative court, and overturning Nyköping's decision, the court has now granted the family a personal care assistant.

“We’re going to celebrate with a grill party,” said Hanna Ekstrand Engdahl to Södermanlands Nyheter.

“All of our friends and family who’ve helped us so incredibly much are invited.”

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