Welcome to That Mom With CP-a space created to celebrate and support mothers with cerebral palsy through shared stories, adaptive parenting tips, and honest conversations about self-care and disability.
For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of being a mama and for equally as long, I just couldn’t comprehend the dream coming true, for me. Yet, I had NO frame of reference or role models for mamas with CP.
Discover how living with cerebral palsy has made me a more patient, adaptable, and intentional mom—and why disability can be a strength, not a setback.
An honest, uplifting look at motherhood with CP — what I feared, what I learned, and how becoming a disabled mom became my greatest strength.
This research studied falls in ambulatory children and adults with CP specifically asking how often they’ve fallen, fall-related injuries experienced, circumstances around the fall, the level of fear or concern about future falls, and the extent to which they do or don’t avoid certain activities due to their concern about falling. This study sets a strong foundation for future fall research, quantifying the breadth and depth of the problem across a large spectrum of age and walking ability.
United Spinal Association has developed a comprehensive air travel guide for wheelchair users or anyone with mobility issues to assist with everything from traveling with your wheelchair to what to do if things break.
Jerron Herman, dancer, actor, trainer and more describes how he moves with spastic hemiplegia...and it might just surprise you!
Dr. Tom Novacheck, of Gillette Children's, describes the characteristics of the 4 types of unilateral, otherwise known as hemiplegic gait, and how the use of clinical instrumented gait analysis can help with treatment decision making.
Dr. Tom Novacheck, Gillette Children's, describes what to look for in each of the 4 different gait patterns seen for those with bilateral cerebral palsy and considerations for each type.
Dr. Debbie Song, Gillette Children's, gives an overview of common neurosurgical procedures to address global tone in individuals with cerebral palsy.
Understanding different gait patterns is important because it can determine what interventions will potentially be the most effective.
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.
Living with CP taught Dr. Kathleen Friel much about educating others about her disability and now about her life threatening diagnosis of Metastatic Breast Cancer.
In this 2022 episode of "Let's Talk CP" host Jen Lyman talks with neurosurgeon, Dr. Debbie Song, and physiatrist, Dr. Marcie Ward about their role in the care of Cerebral Palsy at Gillette Children's.
CPF Executive Director Rachel Byrne and Dr. Paulo Selber discuss the ins and outs of gait analysis for cerebral palsy.
In this new 2022 episode of "Let's Talk CP" host Cynthia Frisina talks with Dr. Tom Novacheck and Dr. Andrew Georgiadis from Gillette Children's about gait, gait analysis, and what makes Gillette Children's such a special place.
The purpose of this study is to explore the breast cancer screening experiences of women with CP with the aim of identifying factors that could improve screening rates for women with disabilities.
Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality in women. Screening has been known to improve early detection for early treatment. Women with disabilities face many physical and attitudinal barriers to mammogram screenings. This webinar has been created to address the educational needs of technologists and to give women with cp and disabilities visual accurate information about the procedure.
It’s SMART to think about what you might want to discuss at your next doctor’s appointment. Here are some suggestions
What do you do when you want to help your child but your local providers don't have the resources? You travel for treatment. In this personal story, Sophia's family describes their experiences traveling to Gillette Children's for treatment, including both neurosurgical and orthopedic surgeries.
A person’s gait is dependent on the interaction between the nervous, musculoskeletal, and cardiorespiratory systems and has many influences.
Learn about Ava's journey with gait analysis and surgery at Gillette Children's.
