Single mother has two special-needs children who need your help this holiday season

This article first appeared in the Miami Herald in collaboration with the Lee Caplin School of Journalism and Media.

Tajjii Ferguson was 34 weeks pregnant when her blood pressure elevated to where she was at risk of a stroke. Doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital said she needed to deliver the baby soon or both their lives would be at risk.

They decided to induce labor, which lasted more than 24 hours. When the baby was born on May 29, 2022, it was clear something wasn’t right. She weighed only 4 pounds, 6 ounces, and within minutes, her tiny body began convulsing with seizures. The staff whisked her from her mother’s arms and rushed her to the hospital’s NICU, where she spent the next two months. 

“It was a touch-and-go emotional type thing,” Ferguson said. “They laid her on me for a half a second and then took her away.” 

The infant, whom Ferguson named Ro’niyah, was born with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT), a rare condition where clots form in veins in the brain, The condition is known to cause blockages in blood flow and can lead fluid to build up, a condition known as hydrocephalus. This sometimes causes seizures. Ro’niyah’s were severe. 

Ro’niyah is not Ferguson’s only child. She also has a 9-year old brother named Raheem, who was born paralyzed on the right side of his body. He also faces health challenges including autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. And he is severely developmentally delayed.

Raheem attends Diamonds Minds Transformational Leadership Academy where he receives specialized care for his unique needs. (Beverly R. Muzii/FIU)

“I basically have two toddlers,” Ferguson said.

When Raheem was just five years old, his father, Robert Darlington was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer.

“Raheem’s dad was very involved even though we didn’t stay together,” Ferguson said. “Raheem and him had their own little things that they did.”

In 2019, Raheem was five years old and could not understand the severity of his father’s condition.

“I remember one morning Raheem jumped out of bed at 6 a.m. screaming for his dad,” Ferguson said. “I called and called and no one picked up the phone.”

Raheem’s dad had died that night.

Around the same time, Ro’niyah’s father entered Ferguson’s life. They were together for a time, but he left and became homeless soon after Ro’niyah was born, leaving Ferguson to care for the two children on her own.

Though seven years apart, Ro’niyah and Raheem are very close siblings. (Beverly R. Muzii/FIU)

The next few months were difficult. At two weeks, the little girl underwent her first brain surgery. Ninety days later, she had her second.

During the second brain surgery, doctors hit an eye nerve, resulting in partial blindness in Ro’niyah’s left eye and no vision at all in her right.

Meanwhile, Ferguson learned CPR and how to care for a child with Ro’niyah’s condition.

“I was finally able to hold her on June 7,” Ferguson said. “It was bittersweet; that was when they could finally take her off the breathing machine.”

When a drainage tube clogged, doctors drilled through her cranium and into her brain.

“They created a hole in my child’s brain to help the fluid drain,” Ferguson emphasized.

Ro’Niyah is partially blind after undergoing two consecutive brain surgeries. (Beverly R. Muzii/FIU)

CHILD CARE

Now, two and a half years old, Ro’niyah still faces daily health challenges while her mother struggles to keep the family on their feet.

“I have to monitor every symptom. Whether it’s a runny nose, a sneeze, a headache – even sleeping too much can even mean a problem.”

Ferguson’s mother provides some assistance.

“My mom will sometimes help with Raheem,” she added. “But Ro’niyah is only me.”

Yet somehow in May 2024, Ferguson completed a degree at Miami Dade College and became a certified nursing assistant. She has attempted working remotely, but the unpredictability of her schedule and having to take her children to daily therapies and medical appointments has caused her to lose even those jobs.

36-year-old Tajjii Ferguson is a certified nursing assistant but unable to work since she is the sole care-giver of her two special needs children. (Beverly R. Muzii/FIU)

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

She continues to ferry Raheem every day to school at Diamond Minds Transformational Leadership Academy in Miami Gardens. He is now in fourth grade.

Many of Ro’niyah’s therapies take place at the Miami Lighthouse Academy where she attends pre-school and is adored by staff.

“When she first came into the program she was in a wheelchair, but through the program and intense therapies, she is learning to walk and eat by herself,” said Mara Gonzalez, academy director at The Miami Lighthouse. “She’s an independent girl.”

The family receives little support from the government. They used to be enrolled in Medicaid but, recently, Ro’niyah lost her coverage. Though Raheem still qualifies, Ferguson explained that it does not accommodate the unique therapies he needs.

This holiday season, Gonzalez nominated the family for the Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald Wishbook. Raheem needs a laptop for school and to attend some of his therapies online. The family also would like clothing for both children, sensory toys for their enrichment, and personal hygiene items.

“They are very loving kids and a loving family,” Gonzalez said. “Tajjii is always on top of them, making sure they have what they need. But she’s a single parent and doesn’t always have, financially, the things she needs.”

Beverly Renee Muzii is a journalist at Florida International University who explores the intersection of journalistic storytelling with arts, culture and the humanities. Muzii is the chief student correspondent for ArtSpeak, an e-magazine and publication platform sponsored by FIU’s College of Communication Architecture and the Arts and the Lee Caplin School of Journalism and Media. Muzii also works as a student academic advising ambassador and is a studio support assistant for Island TV. Muzii will graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the FIU Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media in 2025.