Cerebral Palsy

Meeting challenges as a way of life.

My first CP client was a very beautiful and angry 8 year old girl with a big heart. As soon as I started working with her, I asked her what she wanted the most.  She said that she wanted to climb a tree and to roller skate.  

I asked her mother if she would let me train her to do it, even though chances were she would get hurt.  Especially, skating had a big risk to break her coxes.  But if she could learn to reach her dreams, she would change all the limits in her life.  She and her mother agreed to take the risks.

We spent months working on the movements she needed to climb specific trees I found in her neighborhood.  After her movements were good enough, we went to the first tree.  With my help (physically handling her), she went up.  Then, she jump down to my arms.  After a few sessions, she climbed on that tree on her own.  Eventually, she could climb on all my pre-selected trees.  After the trees, I taught her to skate.  She did fall and break her coxes bone.  But the pain was nothing compared with what she achieved.  

I was the first person she found that told her that no matter what her impediments seem to be today, she can work on herself to change them.  In fact, when I met her, she could not speak because of her paralysis.  She could not even speak sign language.  Her mother told me that the schools didn't teach her sign language because she couldn't make the signs.  Her paralysis, combined with her own insecurities and with people's negative attitudes had prevented her from learning sign language.  She had learned a few signs.  But those signs were not enough to converse or communicate anything complex.

I bought an illustrated book on sign language and gave it to her.  I told her that I wanted to learn signing; but that nobody had the patience to teach me.  So, I ask her to be my teacher. I went to get my lesson once a week.  She taught me 12 lessons in 12 weeks.  At the end, she could sign clearly enough to communicate with deaf-mute people with ease. Of course, since she had taught me the lessons, she could also communicate with me..

Our own limitations give us theopportunity to learn that every weakness is a strength. Just like my first CP client  enjoyed the challenges of climbing a tree, roller scating, and learning signing  we all can learn that keeping the best outlook on life makes it all a great experience. Just go on to enjoy the opportunities that your challenges have given you