Written by parents and clinicians, this helpful toolkit is designed to provide support and resources after the initial diagnosis of CP and beyond.
As spring approaches, millions of high school seniors get one step closer to their career and to becoming the person they have dreamed about growing into since they were children. Receiving college acceptance letters is one of the most profound experiences in a young adult’s life. Moving out of your childhood home and stepping into the real world is a majorly exhilarating life event.
Welcome to the second part of my travel series! In the previous post, I wrote about how I found my love for traveling through my trip to Madrid and Paris. Looking back, not only do I realize that these trips took place during very different phases of my adult life, but they also mark the different phases of my CP in recent years. Although CP is the result of a non-progressive brain injury, many folks experience a decline in their physical abilities in their adult years — the inevitable effect of aging, not just for those with disabilities, but for everyone.
In the next couple of blog posts, I’ll write about some of my favorite trips that I took over the years. I’ll travel down memory lane of all the new places I explored in recent years and eagerly wait until my next trip.
My cousin, Reeva, had recently moved to Kyoto, Japan to learn Japanese for a year, and she convinced me to visit her there. I didn’t know anyone else living in Japan and Reeva was going to be there short term, so I couldn’t possibly pass up going! I was admittedly pretty nervous about traveling all the way across the world— a 24-hour long plane trip, including a layover— especially to a country that uses a language that isn’t remotely like anything I was used to. But, again, I wasn’t going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In Everything You Need to Know About Cerebral Palsy, Dion Pincus goes in depth about cerebral palsy to help teens with CP navigate adolescence.
Living With Cerebral Palsy by Paul Pimm describes the varying effects of cerebral palsy, how different people manage to live with this condition, and where to get more information.
Theodore "Armpit" Johnson tries his best to keep out of trouble after being released from juvenile detention. But it's hard to do when the only person who believes in you is your ten year old neighbor with CP, and people from the past are trying to get you back into bad habits.
Noah, a cello prodigy from a long line of musicians, wants to stick to tradition. Daisy, a fiercely independent disabled violinist, is used to fighting for what she wants and likes to take risks. But the two surprise each other when they play. They fall perfectly in tune.
You are Brave is a book for every kid who has ever thought, "What if I'm not brave enough?" It's about the courage we find within ourselves, and the wonderful possibilities that open up when we have the confidence to try something new.
On Thursday, March 24th, 2022, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation hosted the first ever Cerebral Palsy Congressional Briefing with a panel of physicians, patient and self advocates.
Pediatric critical care physician and ethicist, Dr. Jane Lee was accustomed to caring for children with severe disabilities and felt comfortable helping families navigate the "system". That is until she has her own complicated delivery leaves her second child with a severe brain injury, she finds that everything she learned about disability and personhood as a physician and ethicist is no help as a parent.
Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs challenges families and professionals to help children with special needs to reach their full potential by using a proven motivational, how-to approach.
An incredible story of Johnny Agar, born with cerebral palsy and whom doctors thought would never walk, overcoming the odds to compete in Ironman triathlons.
In this exhilarating and inspirational memoir, the first man with cerebral palsy to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and complete the brutal Ironman competition shares the exhilarating adventure that led to his achievements—redefining our ideas of normal and proving that life is never truly limited for any of us.
As a child, John Quinn had a dream of a naval career despite his affliction with cerebral palsy.
In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Karen Pape tells the story of how some children with early brain damage astounded everyone around them.
What is neuroplasticity? Is it possible to change your brain? Norman Doidge’s inspiring guide to the new brain science explains all of this and more.
Nineteen people from across the globe, ranging in age from twenty to seventy-plus, tell their stories of living and thriving in diverse fields — in sport, the arts, medicine, business and more. With refreshing frankness, they share their successes along with their struggles — grit is the one characteristic they all have in common.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child, Kyle Pease had grown up supporting his athlete brothers Brent and Evan from the sidelines. While his condition limited his ability to play sports, it didn’t dampen Kyle’s passion for them, nor did it stop the Pease family from including Kyle in various excursions. From rolling his wheelchair up Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park to zipping down Colorado snow slopes, there was never a dull moment with the Pease brothers. Where there was a wheel, there was a way to adventure.
Born premature Matt Levy was thrown into the world and given two choices: to sink or to swim. Beating all the odds, he emerged as a Paralympic Gold Medallist, public speaker, and a business manager–all due to a mindset shift he experienced fighting for life at the bottom.
"Do you know what grit means? Well, my mom says I have it. Having grit means you keep working toward your goal even when it's hard. Someone who has grit is fearless and unstoppable." - Frankie
How would you feel if you weren’t allowed to make decisions about your life? What if someone had the power to tell you where to live, who to spend time with, and what to do? What if that person had control of your money and health care? Isn't that hard to imagine?
Do you need a way to discuss Cerebral Palsy with your child, friends, family, or caregivers? Xander explains about cerebral palsy, what causes it, the 4 types, and how it affects him and his friends who also have cerebral palsy. He also shows how he is an important member of his family and how what HE can do MATTERS.
Mental health care should be included at the outset, as part of discussions around physical, occupational, and speech therapies. I’ve seen studies on cerebral palsy’s effect on caregiver mental health — and that is important. Caregivers are part of the cerebral palsy community, too. It’s an interdependent one. There’s not enough about the nuance around how having cerebral palsy affects mental health.”