Isaa is a lovely, polite and generally happy 12 year old, who lives in Keighley. Isaa enjoys going to school and cooking with his mum. He loves to watch Master Chef, David Attenborough wildlife documentaries and his favourite superheroes are Black Panther, Iron Man and the Hulk.
Isaa also faces challenges in his day to day life as he is severely anaemic and has Crohn’s disease resulting in him having a colostomy bag, and he says this makes him very self conscious.
Due to his additional needs, Isaa’s mum has previously struggled to find extracurricular activities during the school holidays that are suitable, as the majority of providers have told the family that Isaa must have a chaperone or that they could not meet his needs. This left Isaa’s Mum desperate to find somewhere local that could inclusively support her son.
The family heard about KHL after asking his school if they knew of any groups or activities over the holidays that might welcome Isaa. His school recommended KHL and Isaa and his mum were thrilled when the KHL team were able and equipped to include Isaa in the activities over the holidays.
I called KHL as I had nowhere else to go, I really needed to get some support for Isaa and to give him chances to keep his mind entertained and meet other kids.
When Isaa attends groups at KHL he’s very happy. As he is getting older, his mental wellbeing can sometimes be a worry as he is prone to anxiety due to his other conditions. After the activities Isaa is tired, but in a good way… he talks a lot about what he has been up to and I can see the joy in him.
Isaa took part in Young Artists and the Young Chefs. His favourite activity was the Young Chefs as he loves cooking and sometimes helps his Mum at home. Due to his health challenges, Isaa is self conscious and doesn’t like eating in public, therefore the Young Chefs activity was a breakthrough for him, to incorporate making and sharing food into a social activity.
“When I am cooking, it makes me forget about everything else in my life (health conditions) and makes me feel happy”
Isaa made two new friends who he said were ‘very kind to him’ and he’s looking forward to seeing them again in the next school holidays.
Isaa also commented on how good the team are at KHL and he can’t wait to come back to see them again too!
