Update: Man with CP set to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Awhile back we wrote about Bonner Paddock, who was gearing up to take on the largest mountain in the world. Born with cerebral palsy, Paddock has already accomplished more than anyone ever expected. In the past year, he has climbed Mt. Whitney and ran a marathon, but now he is attempting to climb to the 20,000-foot summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. “I know it may sound outright crazy, but I believe in trying to make a difference and showing what one person can accomplish,” he says. “Even if, like me, they weren’t given all the functions a normal person is born with.”

Paddock says his climb of Kilimanjaro, beginning in September, was inspired by charitable efforts by the NHL team, the Anaheim Ducks and its owners Henry and Susan Samueli. All of the money raised will go directly to the UCP-OC Early Care and Education Center, where kids with different disabilities will go to receive proper medical care, therapy and childcare. The center will debut the first truly inclusive childcare/preschool in Orange County, a comprehensive therapy center, after-school care, and will provide art and recreation opportunities for children with disabilities. As of Aug. 18, Paddock has raised $166,000 of the $250,000 goal.

The expedition – which has been named Climb without Limits – includes 10 climbers who are close friends of Paddock’s, all of which will pay their own way to Africa. The trip and climb will also be the subject of an upcoming documentary. “I do this for two reasons,” Paddock says. “Showing kids with disabilities that you can accomplish more in life by continuing to push yourself and to climb on behalf of all the kids that won’t ever be able to do ‘normal’ things.”

If you would like to help Bonner in reaching his goal, please click here.

Also, for full article, click here.

Teenager Overcomes CP: Headed to Beijing

Over in Beijing, our Olympians are piling up the medals. However, there are plenty of Olympians still training here in the states. What for you might ask? Well, on September 6^th the Paralympics start in Beijing. There are many amazing athletes from around the world that compete in these games. For Cortney Jordan, of Boulder City, Nevada, it is a dream come true.

Born with cerebral palsy, Cortney was told by her doctors that she wouldn’t be able to walk. To improve her mobility Cortney started swimming as a form of physical therapy. “When I first started swimming I couldn’t lift my arm out of the water.” But she was soon practicing alongside and competing against athletes who have full use of their limbs. With hard work and determination Cortney has become one of the world’s best swimmers. While in Beijing, Cortney will be participating in six separate events and is world ranked in each of them. Be sure to check out the Paralympics and root along Cortney and her fellow American competitors.

To watch Cortney’s inspirational story, click here.

Rising Tennis Star Overcomes Birth Injury

Ryan Dimond, of Boca Raton, Florida, suffers from Erb’s palsy, but you wouldn’t know that just by looking at him. He recently reached the semifinals of the Junior Sun & Fun tennis court competition in Pompano Beach, Florida. Though he lost to the eventual champion, he doesn’t feel like he lost anything. To him, he is a winner in life.

Ryan’s left arm was paralyzed during birth. “He had trauma at birth,” Tracie Dimond, Ryan’s mother said. “They wouldn’t do a cesarean. They thought he was 7 pounds and he turned out to be 10 pounds. I pushed for three hours and 40 minutes and it tore the brachial plexus. They did a corkscrew extraction and that led to the fracture to the skull and subgaleal hemorrhage. The nerves were severed.”

At 15 months, Ryan underwent a nerve transfer where doctors cut him from his ankle to the top of his calf in order to use the sensory nerve and put it in his spinal cord. Then, at age 5, Ryan underwent a second surgery to correct his posture and spent six weeks in a full body cast.

Despite the difficult situation, Ryan and his family were determined not to let this disability stop him. After many hours of surgery, and exercising via tennis and swimming, Ryan has been able to regain about 90 percent motion in the arm. “The only handicap he has now is having his father as a coach,” Jim Dimond joked. “It is satisfying that we found a sport he can do even if he does have some limitations.” Ryan practices tennis for about 2 hours a day and takes everything that comes at him in stride. He is very grateful to have the opportunity to recover from a disability that many other children are unable to.

For more information, click here.

Aquatic Therapy for Patients with Neuromuscular Disorders

Seated in his power wheelchair, Phillip Wickman doesn’t look like a basketball player and he has great difficulty controlling his limbs. However, Phillip Wickman in the water can stand and shoot hoops –just like his idol Dwight Howard, the NBA superstar.  Phillip spends a lot of time perfecting his moves in the heated therapy pool at Performance Rehabilitation in Apopka, FL.

Phillip, a 14-year-old with cerebral palsy, exclaims, “[y]es, I feel strong,” using an electronic synthesizer after his hour long workout of aquatic therapy.  Phillip is one of a growing number of children with neuromuscular disorders who are now trying aquatic therapy.  The principles of water provide a unique set of conditions for physical therapists to treat patients with neuromuscular diseases such as cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease. 

The innovative therapy is also being used for pain management. In regular therapy, whether it was with a walker or holding onto something for support, Phillip was in agony every time he stood up. When he attempted to walk, his legs often crossed causing him to trip and become frustrated.  But since starting aquatic therapy, Phillip has improved dramatically and is showing strength and mobility.  When he and his father went to an Orlando Magic game recently, Phillip managed to stand for five minutes while holding onto a rail, which is a huge improvement and accomplishment for him.

According to researcher Dr. Deborah Thorpe, “children with cerebral palsy develop muscle and mobility at the same pace as those undergoing regular physical therapy.  The difference is water doesn’t hurt.”  The water takes the pressure off the spine and joints, while its temperature increases blood circulation throughout the patient.  This therapy is proving to be very beneficial and has the opportunity to help so many people suffering from a neuromuscular disease.

For More Information Click Here.

Arts and Crafts Improves Finger Mobility

Through a program known as the Creative Hands pottery program, employees are learning a new skill that also has therapeutic benefits, according to Denise Keitsock, program supervisor at Lessie’s Greenhouse and Gift Shop, a supervised vocational rehabilitation workshop for individuals who are physically and/or mentally disabled.

Working with the pliable clay increases and improves strength, flexibility, and dexterity which benefits children who have limited or impaired mobility or stiffness in their fingers, hands and upper body.  This new therapy also helps “to build confidence and self-esteem, and a sense of achievement.” Working with clay is calming and extremely relaxing.  Also taking a piece of clay and turning it into something useful like a coffee mug or a bowl gives a powerful sense of self accomplishment and also works as a creative outlet. 

When not working in the pottery program, many employees opt for either the greenhouse or carpentry optional therapy programs.  In the greenhouse, they learn all types of planting skills while working with greenhouse supervisors and program specialists.  They grow seasonal flowers and make arrangements out of them in order to sell them to the public.  On the other hand, if they choose to pursue the carpentry program they learn how to take apart, refinish and paint old donates items, then transforming them into decorative and functional household objects like plant stands, shelves, furniture etc.  All the skills and therapy wrapped up into the traits allow the employees to improve their motor skills as well as working toward finding a job they can uphold in the real world.

For More Information Click Here. 

Celebrity Poker Tournament Raises $44,000 for CP

Awhile back we wrote about the “All in for CP” poker tournament that was taking place on August 3^rd at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, CA. This was the first annual celebrity charity no limit Texas Hold-Em poker tournament that raised money for the One Step Closer Foundation (OSCF), a charitable organization whose main goal is to ease, as much as possible, the lives of those who suffer from Cerebral Palsy.

We are glad to inform you the poker tournament was a smashing success. A star-studded field including Poker pros Jamie Gold and Barry Greenstein were joined at the felt by former talk show host Montel Williams, X-games BMXer Dennis McCoy and actress Shannon Elizabeth, along with many other celebrities and athletes were all there to raise money for a good cause.

The tournament had a $500 buy-in with unlimited $100 buy-ins for the first 90 minutes. Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons, was the top finisher and rather than pocket the prize money he instantly donated his winnings back to the charity.

Along with the donations raised via the poker tournament there was also a silent auction where players and spectators alike were able to bid on items including a Reggie Bush autographed helmet, Doyle Brunson autographed cowboy hat and a trip for two to Las Vegas to see Ray Romano perform.

In total, the event raised $44,000 for the One Step Closer Foundation. “It was an amazing event,” said Zalewski, President of OSCF. “I still can’t believe that this day came after a year in the making. I am very humbled by the turnout – it was more than I thought it would be and I hope that each year it gets bigger and better.”

For Full Article, Click Here.

Caregiver Burnout

When health care issues are debated, often missing from the public policy debate is the huge value of informal care giving services and, unfortunately, the toll those services take on the caregivers.  National estimates show that thirty to thirty-eight million family caregivers provide ongoing care for loved ones or family members.  These services provided by the caregiver are valued at more than 350 billion dollars annually.  In Oklahoma alone, an estimated five-hundred thousand family caregivers provide more than three-hundred million hours of care.  That amount of time and stress often catches up to them.

Whether the caregiver is caring for an elderly parent, someone who is chronically ill or a disabled child such as one with cerebral palsy, they all have special needs that require unpaid services, “in hopes of providing their loved ones a better quality of life.”  Often caring for a disabled child becomes difficult as the child grows.  When they are young it is far easier to help with bathing and moving them around with ease.  However as the child continues to grow it is rarely a one person job in order to provide adequate care. 

Being a fulltime caregiver and still trying to retain a job is no easy task.  Symptoms of “negligence, depression, financial problems, anxiety, feelings of detachment, irritability and difficulties in relationships have all been linked to care giving.”  This is where Respite care comes into play. 

Respite care provides short-term relief from the responsibilities of caring for loved ones.  Respite care allows the caregiver to go on vacation, see a movie, or simply run everyday errands.  This gift of time that Respite care gives is crucial in providing the caregiver with a much needed brake.  Care giving can be a full time job and the little things like help from family and friends, or an option like Respite is a good way to help with the stress.

For More Information Click Here.

Telethon Fundraiser for Cerebral Palsy

Blair Luke was ready for his close-up at the 38^th annual telethon fundraiser this past weekend.  He is eleven-years old and agreed to lend his face to this statewide telethon campaign to raise money to help people with cerebral palsy, in part because Blair himself has had this disease since birth.  As the cameras zoomed in, Blair was all smiles and when asked what viewers should know about him, he happily replied, “I’m famous.” During the entire event, Blair and his family could be found rocking out to the Houma-based Southern Boys band at the festive headquarters.  His father says, “[h]e’s a questioner.  He’s always happy.”

This event is put on by Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana, a nonprofit group that offers services to people the condition affects throughout the state.  The organization helps buy medical equipment, special shoes, evaluations, and also undertakes certain programs that include various types of sports.  This event is one of five telethons being held around the state, with others in Monroe, Alexandria, Lafayette, and Cut Off.  The Cut Off event is coming up in about three weeks.  The group hope to surpass last year’s total of $77,000.

For more information click here. 

Vicki’s Story!

Here is a short video about a father and his daughter, Vicki, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.  The father talks about strategies and different technologies they have used to help Vicki improve her quality of life. It is an interesting and inspiring story of this active teenage girl.

Cord Blood Gives Young Girl 50% Recovery

When Chloe Levine was nine-months-old, her parents noticed she was unable to hold her bottle with her right hand, raise her arms above her head and crawl.  At twelve-months, a CAT scan showed that the left side of Chloe’s brain wasn’t developed and contained fluid.  The family’s neurologist soon diagnosed her with right-side hemiplegic cerebral palsy. “The cerebral palsy had only affected the right side of her body,” Jenny Levine said Monday morning on FOX & Friends. “The neurologist told us we were looking at 17, 18 years of therapy.”

This was daunting to her parents, so they explored other options.  They got word of an experimental procedure at Duke University in North Carolina where children with cerebral palsy are infused with their own cord blood stem cells in an effort to heal and repair damaged brain tissue. Fortunately for Chloe, her parents decided to save these cord blood stem cells when she was born. 

Just in two months, Chloe’s parents can already see drastic improvements. According to her therapist she has made a 50% recovery. She is now running, walking, and doing sign language with her right hand.  Her mother Jenny adds, “[i]t’s a miracle.  To hear your baby’s voice is a gift.”  Her parents could not be happier with the results and encourage Chloe in her continued progress; they also encourage new parents to also store their child’s cord blood.

The cost for storing the blood is about 2,000 dollars, which will hopefully decrease soon.  However, this is a small price to pay down the road when it could save your child’s life.

For more information on this story click here. 

For additional information from a past blog on cord blood click here.