Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy

By MILLICENT MWOLOLOMore by this Author My name is Teddy Waweru. I am 29 years old. I was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects muscle tone, my ability to move my limbs in a coordinated, purposeful way and my speech. I grew up at the Mother Teresa Childrens Home in Huruma. I just found myself here as a young boy. It is a big, happy family and I know no other way of living than in the company of great family and friends at the home. Because of my age, Im now housed at the Missionaries of Charity Home of Peace in Ngumba estate. My day starts early. I wake up at 6am, take a shower and dress up. At 7am, I head to the dining hall for breakfast and do my chores thereafter. After my chores, I go back to my room in the dormitory and prepare myself to leave for work by 9am. I get onto my wheelchair and cycle up to the roadside, just near the matatu stage in Ngumba estate. I FEEL ENCOURAGED WHEN PEOPLE SAY HELLO My wheelchair has a back compartment that acts as a mobile stall. I can walk without it … Continue reading →

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - While growing up in Harris County, Jarret Buice was teased because of what cerebral palsy prevented him from doing. Now this 33-year-old Fortson resident motivates able-bodied folks because of what he does despite the congenital brain abnormality that impairs his movement and muscle control. Thanks to his decade-long dedication to an exercise routine and the support he receives from the staff and members at the YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus, Buice grew strong enough to become Boosie the Clown, entertaining children at birthday parties and other events, such as the Uptown Columbus outdoor concerts on Friday nights. While making balloon animals for kids at Summerville Baptist Church in Phenix City during a school-supply giveaway and carnival the night of July 19, Buice saw the smiles he created and gushed, It just makes my heart light up. The teasing he received in elementary school prompted Buice to leave at home his leg braces, called ankle-foot orthoses. When he was 12 or 13 years old, he had surgery on his legs to strengthen his ligaments, but I didnt go through my physical therapy like I was supposed to, and that threw my balance off real bad, he said. Approximately … Continue reading →

Child using robot-driven TPAD training method to improve crouch gait, symptom of cerebral palsy.Photo courtesy of Sunil Agrawal/Columbia Engineering In the U.S., 3.6 out of 1000 school-aged children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP). Their symptoms include abnormal gait patterns which results in joint degeneration over time. Slow walking speed, reduced range of motion of the joints, small step length, large body sway, and absence of a heel strike are other difficulties that children with CP experience. A subset of these children exhibit crouch gait which is characterized by excessive flexion of the hips, knees, or ankles. A team led by Sunil Agrawal, professor of mechanical engineering and of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine at Columbia Engineering, has published a pilot study in Science Robotics that demonstrates a robotic training method that improves posture and walking in children with crouch gait by enhancing their muscle strength and coordination. Crouch gait is caused by a combination of weak extensor muscles that do not produce adequate muscle forces to keep posture upright, coupled with tight flexor muscles that limit the joint range of motion. Among the extensor muscles, the soleus, a muscle that runs from just below the knee to the heel, plays … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - A 12-year-old from Prospect Park has been through a lot and he has one wish as he recovers from a big operation at CHOP. He's hoping to meet his idol. Tyler Osowskiwas born legally blind and has cerebral palsy. The 6th grader just had a major operation in June at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to correct a limp and straighten out his left foot which was turned in. After 6 days in ICU and being immobile for a month, Tyler is back at CHOP again going through an intensive 4- week in-patient rehab program to learn to walk again. Tyler remaining upbeat the entire time always with a smile on his face. His goal is to get back to doing what he loves the most playing basketball, especially with his twin brother, Anthony "Can't keep him off the court that's for sure. He eats, sleeps and breathes basketball," his dad, John Osowski, said. While Tyler is temporarily sidelined, his family decided to deck out his hospital room in honor of his favorite NBA team the 76ers and his idol --number 25--Ben Simmons. "I just like the fact that when he's on the court he knows what to … Continue reading →

While growing up in Harris County, Jarret Buice was teased because of what cerebral palsy prevented him from doing. Now this 33-year-old Fortson resident motivates able-bodied folks because of what he does despite the congenital brain abnormality that impairs his movement and muscle control. Thanks to his decade-long dedication to an exercise routine and the support he receives from the staff and members at the YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus, Buice grew strong enough to become "Boosie the Clown," entertaining children at birthday parties and other events, such as the Uptown Columbus outdoor concerts on Friday nights. While making balloon animals for kids at Summerville Baptist Church in Phenix City during a school-supply giveaway and carnival the night of July 19, Buice saw the smiles he created and gushed, "It just makes my heart light up." The teasing he received in elementary school prompted Buice to leave at home his leg braces, called ankle-foot orthoses. When he was 12 or 13 years old, he had surgery on his legs to strengthen his ligaments, "but I didn't go through my physical therapy like I was supposed to, and that threw my balance off real bad," he said. Approximately 10 years ago, Buice … Continue reading →

PROPHETSTOWN, Ill. (KWQC) - Along with the runners and walkers taking part in the bix tomorrow, there are some doing the course, on wheels. One caregiver will be running with her friend in a wheel chair, at the 43rd annual Bix road race. Korey Wilson, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, has been limited to what he can do since he was born. But his caretaker is giving him a chance to push past those limits, and finally, take part in his favorite race. When Ashley Simmon decided to run the Bix-7, she didn't have to look far to find a running partner. Simmon is a care taker at winning wheels rehabilitation center -- she decided to give Korey Wilson a chance to live out a dream. With their constant laughter and jokes. It's a strong bond that can be hard to find. Simmon says it was an easy decision to push Korey the whole way, even though she knows it won't be easy. But Simmon says it's also a chance to show everyone anything is possible. "Just showing that yeah he doesn't have to do it by himself, but with Wheels and with me, we're going to do it, … Continue reading →

More support groups have been set up in public hospitals to help parents having premature babies as more women leave it late to get married and have children. The latest group, founded at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, has helped more than 100 families since 2016, including a 27-year-old single mother who wishes to be known only as Ying. Yings son Jun was born in May 2014 at 25 weeks and weighed just 800 grams. He was a dark-coloured little thing cupped in a nurses hands, she said. Parents of premature infants urge Hong Kong government to cut queues for early childhood help It was just the start of her problems. Ying soon divorced and Jun was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and severe hearing impairment. The landlord then forced them out of their home. One day in 2015, Ying, who could barely eat and sleep under the pressure, collapsed in a temporary public shelter. But when she woke up from a three-day coma in hospital, she was not alone. Several mothers and nurses from the neonatal intensive care unit took turns to bring Ying and Jun food and daily supplies. They also helped her apply for a public … Continue reading →

The real meaning of the Shrine Bowl, and the events leading up to the game, can be difficult to comprehend for many of the high school graduates who will be playing football Saturday night in El Dorado. That changed this week when Gentry Ramsey, the 8-year-old cousin of West lineman Marshall Rutschman of Sedgwick, came to meet the West squad before a practice in Salina. As Gentrys father, Chris, stood before the team and talked about how his daughter was born with hypotonic cerebral palsy, and how Shriners Hospitals gave the family hope in a time of need, West coach Marc Marinelli could see the significance of this week dawn on his players. That was really, really powerful stuff, Marinelli said. These are 18-year-old men about to set off for college and someday will have families of their own. You can sit there and talk to them about what it means all day long, but when you see a little girl up there and a whole family explaining to you what it means then that changes everything. I think it gave the guys a sense of purpose. Gentry Ramsey is one of thousands of children aided by the 22 non-profit … Continue reading →

Training with a robotic device may help some kids with cerebral palsy gain strength and improve both posture and walking abilities, researchers say. A small study suggests that a robotic system known as the Tethered Pelvic Assist Device could help those with crouch gait, a condition affecting a subset of individuals with cerebral palsy thats marked by excessive bending of the hips, knees or ankles. After participating in 15 training sessions with the system, six children studied showed improvement in posture and muscle coordination as well as walking features like step length, toe clearance, range of motion and heel-to-toe pattern, according to findings published this week in the journal Science Robotics. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below For the study, the kids participated in 16-minute training sessions over the course of six weeks. They were evaluated at the beginning and end of the study period. The children wore the robotic device a pelvic belt attached to several wires while walking on a treadmill. Tension on the wires was adjusted in real time based on data captured by cameras. The device applied downward force similar to what a typical child experiences carrying a backpack in order to retrain certain leg muscles. Currently, … Continue reading →

Quiet on the tee. That is what Calgarys Kyle Miller will achieve when he cracks his opening drive next Thursdayat the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canadas ATB Financial Classic at Country Hills. Quiet from the doubters. Quiet from anybody who ever wondered if he was dreaming a little too lofty for a golf-crazed kid with a physical disability. Now 26, Miller will make history next week in his hometown tournament as the first athlete with cerebral palsy a disorder that affects movement, motor skills and posture to compete in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Its all Ive ever thought about, Miller said. People would look at me with sympathy that I had big dreams and big aspirations. They thought it was just a big pipe-dream. I thank the haters just as much as the supporters because those are the ones that kept me going to prove them wrong. They just bred history being made thats essentially how Ill look at it. And I hope theyll think twice before they tell somebody want they will or wont do again, because they were wrong with me. A PGA of Canada-certified instructor at GolfTEC Calgary Midnapore, Miller is on the list of sponsor exemptions for … Continue reading →