Cerebral Palsy - The physical disability determining the lives of so many Adults and Children.

Hey all,

Ever since I can remember, I have lived and contended with the physical disability Cerebral Palsy, and I have met, at the very least, six other people with the disability. I've always found it sad however the level of ignorance around such a disability and have also been a first hand recipient of that ignorance my entire life.

There are two hugely common questions I have heard over my lifetime when it comes to CP and I hope to answer both of those right here.

Question 1.

How do we gain an understanding of CP when we don't even know what it is?

Research is always good, try googling Cerebral Palsy and see what comes up. But the simple answer is to say this: Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability caused by damage to the brain, usually due to lack of oxygen to a baby during birth or a head injury soon after birth. It affects the ability for the nerve systems in the body to send signals to the arms and legs, especially involving movement, hence why most CP sufferers use wheelchairs, frames or walking sticks. There are many different ways that CP affects people, it can affect just one side of the body, both arms, both legs or all four limbs. In the more severe cases it also affects speech capabilities.

If you want me to expand on this just ask me....


Question 2

Is there a cure for Cerebral Palsy?

Again there's a simple answer, which is no. But the more complicated answer is this: There is a treatment that can be used from birth to retrain a childs brain circuits to send messages to more accurate places, and whilst this is not a cure, it is an early intervention that can make such a huge difference to a child's future experience of Cerebral Palsy.

Another early intervention is Botox, yes you read right, Botox. The world's most lethal poison has been used in cosmetic surgery to loosen the face muscles to remove wrinkles and so, it has a similar role in the medical world. It is injected into the leg muscles of children with CP to loosen the spasticity in the muscles in order to relax them and make the process of walking more comfortable and slightly easier for the child. I myself was one of the trial subjects for this treatment 16 years ago. 

But as for a full and complete cure, we then look to Stem Cell Treatment, a treatment which has not been legalised in Australia yet as our government believes that more research is needed to allow the controversial issue. An adult with CP, such as myself, would have to travel to India in order to receive this treatment at this point in time.


In closing.....

So maybe I have answered those questions, maybe I haven't. But just remember, every 15 hours a child is born with Cerebral Palsy. But CP does not present itself until an affected child reaches 18 months of age, which is why it is so vital to train a child's brain from birth, as by the time CP presents itself it may be too late to retrain the brain and the damage will most likely be done. So please, raise awareness of this oh so common disability and help us out in finding and researching a viable cure.

Go to http://www.cpfoundation.com.au/ and make a donation today!

Peace guys. :)