Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy

Heather Owings walk across the graduation stage Saturday not only was a big deal for her, but also for her mother. Her mother, Brenda Owings, said it has been a long road to get here. Shes been working two years to walk, she said of Heather, 18, who was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. This is kind of like her shining moment to walk to get that diploma. Weve been practicing for a long time, so Im excited to see her do it. Heather Owings was one of more than 400 Topeka High School graduates who received their diplomas Saturday at the Kansas Expocentre, joining an estimated 157 Highland Park High School graduates and 236 Topeka West graduates who also walked across the graduation stage that day. Area graduations Sunday will include Hayden, Rossville, Seaman, Shawnee Heights, Silver Lake and Washburn Rural high schools. As Topeka High graduates filed into the Expocentres Landon Arena in their gold-colored gowns, Brenda Owings said she knew her daughter was excited to take the steps she had practiced for many months. Shes overwhelmed and happy, she said. She gets to walk. She gets to share this moment with everybody. Like any … Continue reading →

Features / 12 hours ago / by Luke Morton "The Mendenhall Experiment is my literal experiment to see if I, 'the kid with cerebral palsy' from small-town Illinois could move to Los Angeles, survive, write a batch of songs, form a band, and then elevate that band to a national level of success in todays music world." That's Brandon Mendenhall, guitarist and mastermind behind the aforementioned Mendenhall Experiment, who overcame his disability to live out his dream as a guitar hero in Los Angeles. Brandon Mendenhall who was born with cerebral palsy a neurological condition that affects movement, coordination and balance taught himself how to play guitar despite having limited movement in the left side of his body. Forming the band in 2008, he's just released his debut self-titled EP, which features A Perfect Circle alumni Danny Lohner and Munky from Korn. "Korn fans find attachment to Jonathans lyrics, to the power of the music. They are able to connect with it. And Brandon is one of these people, and its helped him," Munky tells Metal Hammer. "Since the first time I met him in 2000, he had this vision of him moving to Los Angeles and starting a career … Continue reading →

Jack Thompson has already rode 284 miles from London to Liverpool. Picture: Facebook A London man with cerebral palsy is cycling around Ireland on a bicycle modified to fit with his needs. Jack Thompson began an initial 13-day journey from London to Liverpool on April 26, which saw him cover 284 miles in 12 separate rides. Earlier this week he boarded a ferry to Belfast to realise his goal of cycling across Ireland. Mr Thompson, who has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth, began cycling around five years ago as a way to get around in spite of his disability. Its taken me five years of progression to get to this stage, Mr Thompson told Ballymena native Sherman Wright in a video, which has now gone viral on Facebook. I originally started cycling because it was easier for me to cycle to the shops than walk to the shops. Last year, Mr Thompson cycled hundreds of miles from the Netherlands, through Germany and down into Austria. He said he had just arrived in Ireland and he was expecting his route to get a lot more hilly in the next few days. Asked about his first impressions of the Emerald Isle, … Continue reading →

BBC News Oisin Meritt makes Ireland's cerebral palsy football team - BBC News BBC News An Irish footballer who almost died after falling off a balcony in Spain has defied medical odds to play again. Oisin Merritt, a former Finn Harps player, from ... and more » More here: Oisin Meritt makes Ireland's cerebral palsy football team - BBC News - BBC News … Continue reading →

Picture: South China Morning Post/Zou Hongyan A man born with cerebral palsy in central China in 1988 has been admitted to Harvard University in the United States. Ding Ding, 29, nearly suffocated during a complication of his birth, which left him with his condition. Doctors in Hubei province in China suggested to his mother, Zou Hongyan, that she might give him up as a baby. They suggested it was futile to attempt to rescue him, as he would grow up disabled - even Ding Ding's father agreed. Zou insisted on saving her child, and divorced his father. Zou took up a number of jobs to support her son, including a college position, a job selling insurance and one as a protocol trainer. She took him to rehab sessions and learned therapy procedures for his condition, playing games and puzzles with him in an attempt to boost his intelligence. She told the South China Morning Post: I didnt want him to feel ashamed about this physical problems. Because he had inferior abilities in many areas, I was quite strict on him to work hard to catch up where he had difficulties. Ding Ding went on to graduate in 2011 with bachelor's … Continue reading →

Cerebral palsymeans a lot of things to a lot of different people, explains John Ross Bowie about what hes been learning from his work on the show Speechless. For the ABC comedy, Bowies character Jimmy DiMeo is married to Maya (Minnie Driver), and they have son J.J. (Micah Fowler), a victim of cerebral palsy. In our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above), he adds, Its a huge vast community. Whenever I go anywhere now, I look at the accessibilityissues of the place.I think, How would we get Micah in here? Thats something that would never have crossed my mind 14 months ago. He says that Jimmy is so cool and unflappable. Its fun to pretend for 23 weeks that Im this guy that lets things slide and doesnt sweat the small stuff. Thatcoolness Jimmy has is not me, and its really fun to explore and try to find the part of myself that can do that. Hes not concerned with other peoples opinions and not concerned with pet worries. Bowie has a background in improv with the UCB. Bringing those skills to Speechless he says that we dont have a ton of time to do improv and the scripts … Continue reading →

May 15, 2017 7:53 AM By Pat Gallen NEWTOWN, Pa. (CBS) At Newtown Athletic Club in Bucks County, inclusiveness is important, and its why theyve put the UFIT program in place. The pilot program is a 12-week program for people with cerebral palsyor multiple sclerosis, says Amanda Brown, director of inclusive programming at the athletic club. They get a free membership to the club and get to commit to personal training for those 12 weeks. They can choose once a week, twice a week, three times a week, and were kind of looking to measure how fitness can hopefully change their lives, Brown said. When Clare Myers heard about UFIT, she enrolled her 13-year-old-son, Robbie, who has cerebral palsy. Its just a godsend to have some place for him to do something that is productive, that makes him feel good about himself, Myers said. It helps him with his own self-esteem, which Ive seen in the last two weeks. Another UFIT member is Pamela Gifford, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 26 years ago. I have lesions in my neck and in my lower thoracic spine, says Gifford. So it causes restriction and pain. In recent years, she gained weight … Continue reading →

Former Sligo Rovers and Finn Harps Under 19 player Oisin Merritt has joined the Republic of Ireland cerebral palsy team Merritt fell 20 feet from a balcony in Spain and slipped into a coma in 2014, when he was just 19. The young footballer said paramedic, David Sullivan from Galway who happened to stumble upon the scene, saved his life. Once dubbed Miracle Man, Merritt defied all the odds to survive the accident and was recently given the all clear to return to playing football. He qualifies for the cerebral palsy team due to the acquired brain injury he received from the fall and is relishing the chance to get back on the field. "The opportunity not only to play football again, but represent my country at events like the World Championships and possibly the Paralympics is brilliant." said Merritt, who is a native of Stranorlar in Donegal. "For something so positive to come from an accident like mine is unbelievable. I have played for a few high level clubs and the standard these guys are at are right up there with the best, I'm delighted to be involved in high level of football again. "Since I've hooked up with … Continue reading →

Miami Herald Man with cerebral palsy missing since Friday has returned home Miami Herald David Kevin Altaire, 60, is deaf and his cerebral palsy forces him to walk with forearm crutches. And he hadn't been seen since Friday afternoon. Soon after Pembroke Pines police enlisted the public's help in finding Altaire, he wsa returned home ... Read the original post: Man with cerebral palsy missing since Friday has returned home - Miami Herald … Continue reading →

Please enable Javascript to watch this video MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. --Chances are, the Calhoun Class of 2017 won't remember the keynote speaker or the wittiest cap decoration. But it is likely they will remember Stephanie Miner and the journey that led her to her diploma, WHNT reported. "I cant believe its actually here," Miner said. Stephanie has cerebral palsy but is quick to tell you, Just because my legs dont work doesnt mean my mind doesnt work," she said. We wish we could tell you Stephanie was motivated by a mentor to work for her diploma. But actually, it was the opposite. Somebody at vocational rehabilitation told me I couldnt, and I wanted to show them that I could, Miner said. Each day, her parents have driven her to campus along with her service dog, Astro, who wears many hats. He helps me push the buttons on the doors here at the college and he helps me pick things up," shesaid. Astro has only been here for the final stretch of her higher educational journey. She's taken only a class or two at a time. The tortoise and the hare mentality," Miner said. Which makes this graduation day 24 years … Continue reading →