Edwin Rivera was found at 10:30 AM on New Year’s Day, huddled in a ball still buckled into his seat. Rivera spent 19 hours on the bus by himself in temperatures that dipped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. When cops found Rivera Thursday morning his body temperature was below normal and he was also dehydrated, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Rivera’s mother was relieved that her son had been found and was ok, but was also extremely upset with the bus company, not understanding how a driver could miss a man who stands at over 6 feet tall.

Linda Hockaday, the bus driver responsible for looking after Rivera, was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment. Rivera could not notify anyone he was still on the bus as a result of his inability to speak.

Findings in Johnson’s study suggest that adults and children with disabilities tend to be less fit than their peers. Unfortunately these people can’t afford a downturn in their health but when the doctor suggests exercise, rarely are the resources needed to do so available in the community.

Johnson has placed an importance of proving these benefits of exercise programs. She feels that if parents of disabled children see the benefits, they would be much more likely to provide an opportunity for their children to take part in physical activity.

In late October, Cassie was one of the first to undergo a dorsal rhizotomy at the Children’s Hospital of Illinois at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. The operation involves selectively cutting some nerve fibers running through the spinal cord to reduce spasticity — the increased tension that tightens and shortens muscles. By turning certain nerves permanently “off,” the operation relieves tension in the legs and improves a patient’s ability to walk. “In a child with spasticity, some of those nerves are hyperactive,” said Dr. Julian Lin, a pediatric neurosurgeon at the Illinois Neurological Institute at St. Francis. “This operation removes some of that.” Lin said the hours-long operation is fairly invasive and involves a painful recovery. Most candidates for the surgery will undergo a four to six week hospital stay afterwards, followed by months of physical therapy.

While painful and requiring hours of rehabilitation, the surgery has shown great results. A study published this month in the journal, BMC Pediatrics examined the dorsal rhizotomies of 35 children five years later and found not only was muscle tone immediately reduced after the operation but it remained so throughout the years. As for Cassie, her parents have already seen an immediate difference but they do note that Cassie will have to retrain her muscles. “Now her muscles have to relearn. Her whole body has to relearn proper gait and strength,” said Cassie’s mother, Pam Merrill. “To someone else who looks at her, they say that she can’t walk. Not yet, but she is going to have a lot better chance at walking upright and more securely now.”

The key to a happy holiday season is the ability to manage all that excess and overload. That’s especially true for families with someone that may have suffered a child birth injury, or whom have cerebral palsy.  Children with cerebral palsy and their families typically rely on a finely tuned schedule to manage their days. Most children who have cerebral palsy or other special needs do better when they follow a routine.  Every caregiver knows that they would never accomplish everything without a plan. When the hectic holidays come along and kick a little snow into that well-oiled machine, it may be hard to feel the joy.

But here’s the good news: you’re the expert. Your every day planning and organization skills can be utilized to make your holiday season happy and stress-free. With a little planning, you can account for potential pitfalls and be sure that your child with cerebral palsy and your whole family have a happy holiday.

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If you’re the parent of someone with a child birth injury such as cerebral palsy or Erb’s palsy you probably already have a good handle on the types of gifts that they’ll enjoy.  If you’re a family member or friend who isn’t involved with their day to day care, be sure to talk to the child’s parent first.  What might seem like a fantastic gift could turn out to be something that the child can’t enjoy, or worse, something that upsets them. 

Children with cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, or another child birth injury have varying capacities for activity and stimuli.  Also, like other children, they have likes and dislikes that are all their own.  When choosing a gift for someone with cerebral palsy, Erb’s Palsy, or any kind of child birth injury, consider some of the features of the gift you’re buying. 

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Along with a sensitive Santa, the event featured music and various activities for the children. “We were taking a walk in the lobby and heard the band and we were invited in to this wonderful party,” said Cindy Rose, whose son Aaron has been a long time patient,”…It’s really made the hospitalization a lot shorter and nicer.”

If you would like more information on visiting Sensitive Santa or would like to pre-register for a visit with him, you can contact Cincinnati Children’s Family Resource Center at (513)636-7606 or go to www.cincinnatichildrens.org.

The research was led by Joann Petrini. She acknowledged that it was a growing problem.”We know that very pre-term babies have higher rates of cerebral palsy from existing research, but this paper shows that even the late pre-term babies are three times as likely to be diagnosed with cerebral palsy as full-term babies,” Petrini said.

Not only were babies born late pre-term more likely to develop cerebral palsy, but they were also 25% more likely than children born full term to develop learning, speech, and other developmental delays.

In the U.S. the number of babies being born prematurely is growing and late pre-term births make for 70% of the births in this category.  Petrini feels that several factors are the cause of this rise in late pre-term births. These consist of older women, women suffering of obesity, and women with diabetes becoming pregnant. Petrini feels use of fertility treatments and babies being born through cesarean section are potential causes as well.

The children, who were suffering from various disabilities and disorders – ranging from cerebral palsy to cancer – embarked on the holiday train ride that was based on the popular book and movie “Polar Express”.  

The evening was very cold, but there was no need to worry as fleece blankets, mittens, and scarves were also donated to all the children to keep them warm throughout the ride. ”We could not have done it without donations from members of The Chapel,” Shively said. ”We all had great fun doing this and prayed all the way through, . . . We were all truly grateful to be able to bring a little joy into their lives.” 

Akron Police Sergeant Tom Dye arranged the event and guided the magical holiday train ride for the children. Funding for the event came from the Akron Fraternal Order of Police and the Police and Firemen’s Insurance Association.

Nick loves to write, and with the assistance of his mother and a special symbolic language, he’s painstakingly created two award-winning stories. The stories can take hours to create, but his family says it’s worth every minute. Nick’s award-winning Subway story called “The Race to Red Onion Ranch” was selected from more than 1,400 entries. He also placed in a PBS contest. Even more impressive is that he was competing with typically developed children.

There can be unique challenges in even writing a simple story, but Nick’s family says they’re very proud of his accomplishments, and the progress he’s made. Nicks father couldn’t be anymore proud of his son. “My belief in his abilities has changed a lot. And at times, as he’s grown, we’ve wondered what the future held, and now we know that the future’s pretty bright.”

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Not only is the hot tub fun for Aubrei, but it is also helping her to walk. Aubrei was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 2 years old and she struggles to do things that other children her age do. “She wants to run and play with them. It’s sort of hard when she wants to go play,” said Kevin Malloy, Aubrei’s father.

Aubrei has trouble walking because the cerebral palsy causes the muscles in her legs to stiffen up. One suggestion to help Aubrei was aqua therapy but the Malloy’s insurance wouldn’t cover the therapy. It was then that the Malloy’s found out about a website called “Seasons of Giving”.

Once a month, Thermo spa donates a hot tub to a disabled child. Aubrei received hers back in September and uses it every day. Her parents say that you can already see an improvement in her balance and she sleeps through the night now because the muscles in her legs aren’t as tight.

“Maybe, God willing, this will work itself out and she’ll be able to do those things that she can’t right now,” said Kevin Malloy.

Aubrei’s parents are definitely hopeful in what the hot tub can do for her, but when you ask Aubrei about the hot tub, she just sounds happy, “It’s perfect,” said Aubrei.