Lizma John
Lizma John - Independent and Strong
Lizma John was diagnosed with Down syndrome soon after she was born. After years of empowering, Lizma works at Malabar hospital at Kozhikode in Kerala as an assistant. A computer geek, Lizma has many dreams and ambitions.
Lizma John’s parents - mother Wilma, a lecturer and father John, a research scholar were excited at the birth of a cherubic daughter. She was born at the famous Vellore Medical College. Since she was a premature baby, health complications were present. The advantage of being born to people who are aware of conditions was visible for Lizma. Within a few hours of her birth her parents realized that their daughter had Down syndrome. It definitely shattered the parents, but they did not let it linger for long.
They believed in themselves and their newborn daughter and promised to give her nothing less than the best. The first step was to empower her to be independent and strong. It took years of empowering, but the result was worth every step. Lizma, who is now 37 years old, works with a leading hospital in Kozhikode as an assistant.
Lizma being the only daughter, was the center of attraction in her family. Lizma, he mother says had the quality of spreading joy wherever she went and providing peace and happiness to anybody she interacted with.
The parents were lucky that Lizma during her growing up years achieved her milestones quite easily. She could walk and do things normally. Of course to improve her speech, she was given proper speech therapy that helped her develop her speech skills. A supportive family behind them helped Lizma and her parents sail through life.
Lizma has been a ray of hope for the family. Her father passed away a few years ago and she was a source of strength for her mother. Her mother had taken a break from her work when Lizma was born that helped the child grow confident and independent.
Lizma completed her class 10 from a leading mainstream school in Kozhikode. She later joined for higher studies but dropped that to pursue her love for computers.
Lizma is a Computer buff. Wilma remembers that it was during one of Lizma’s birthdays that she got a computer as a gift. There has been no looking back since. She joined a computer course and after completiong even got a certificate with which she could apply for jobs. It was a time when empowerment of person with disability was becoming the norm. Lizma did get a job. However, she loves teaching too and would like to be a teacher later in life. She is lately with the Malabar hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala. Her good hand-writing skills has also helped her a lot.
Lizma not only loves her new role as an assistant at Malabar Hospital, but is considered one of their most sincere employees. She checks files for patients, scans reports and does her role in all sincerity. What is Lizma’s aim in the future?, She aims to become a computer expert and even train people like her with disability in Computers. However, right now she is at her happiest, working as an independent person!
