A letter from Pt.Pratibha’s proud father Dr.Rajeev Kamath. Pratibha Kamath is a 26 years old female, she is a known case of moderate Intellectual Disability from Mumbai. She does Bharatnatyam and plays classical musical instrument, Sitar.
“Dear Dr. Nandini and Dr. Richa,
Hope you are doing well in professional and personal fronts.
I am very happy to inform you about Pratibha’s progress in last one year. The latest development being, Pratibha has done Sitar performance in four major stages [3 in Kochi and one in Trivandrum] during this Navratri. She is now able to perform for about 40 – 45 minutes on stage, in which she performs one raag for 30 minutes, another raag for 10 minutes, and couple of small dhuns..
At the end of our stay in Neurogen for the stem cell procedure, we have set goals for 3 months, 6 months and one year.
The 3 months goal was reduction in her aggression. By the end of 3 months, the intensity and frequency of aggression reduced.. And that continued.. Still she gets into aggressive behaviour, but with lesser intensity..
The 6 months goal was reducing her excessive attachment with mother, especially sleeping with her in nights.. In about 5 months, she started sleeping in a different room.. It required a lot of persuasion, but we succeeded in making her sleep in different room..
The 1 year goal was: Improvement in Pratibha’s rhythmic sense and she performing on a stage for 10 minutes.. Now she can perform traditional Hindustani music in Sitar for 45 minutes on stage. During this Navratri, she performed in 4 places, out of which two were major stages where many serious music lovers with deep knowledge in classical music were present. Couple of professional sitar players came and congratulated her saying it was “Unbelievable”.. Yes, she stumbles, slips and gets into minor blank outs.. But she quickly recovers and continues.. Lots of efforts has been put on her in shaping up her musical sense and making her play sitar very close to professional concert.. A long way to go..And we believe that she can independently perform music professionally on stages in coming years..
Thought of sharing this happy news with you and the Neurogen family..
Dr. Rajeev Sreenivasa Kamath “
A brief about Pt.Pratibha Kamath
Ms. Pratibha Kamath is a 26 year old lady and a known case of Intellectual Disability. She was diagnosed with mild Intellectual Disability at the age of 2 years by a pediatrician at Chennai. At that time her chief complaints were aggression, irrelevant emotional behavior, hyperactivity, fear of animals, sounds and height, extreme temper tantrums, irrelevant social interaction and disturbed sleep patterns.
Although diagnosed with Intellectual Disability, her parents decided to not under estimate her choices and talents and started involving her in activities they thought would interest her. The outcome of their efforts finally paid off when Pratibha exhibited interest in music and dance. They encouraged her further and she was able to play the sitar and do steps of bharatnatyam with ease. However, she was reaching a point, where teaching anything new was becoming a problem.
Her parents then approached, Dr Alok Sharma and Dr Nandini Gokulchandran at NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, for a consultation about Stem cells and decided to undergo stem cell therapy.
Post the therapy, Pratibha’s father has noticed some major improvements in her condition, including reduction in her aggressive behavior, reduction in the frequency of tantrums, increase in understanding and behavioral patterns, along with an increase in attention and concentration. This he says has been a major contribution in her dance and music training. She can now learn new verses and phrases much better and quicker as compared to before Stem cell therapy. Her training has really picked up pace.
Besides, she has also been attending a vocational training centre Abhilasha, where she is actively involved in arts and crafts. In fact she now makes divas and lamps that she sells and can make anything from Rs 20 – Rs 25,000 each year on the sale of her diwali articles and greeting cards.
The team at NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute is really proud of Pratibha and her achievements. She has come a long way in her life and is shining example for millions of such affected individuals in society.
