Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month
As we have noted in previous posts, March was Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Here at Crawl Walk we work with a large population of individuals with Cerebral Palsy; so it’s important that we put some inspirational stories into the spotlight! In my research, I was able to come across too many stories to focus on in just one blog post, so I provided a link below for you to view many inspirational stories from athletes with Cerebral Palsy.
For those who may not already know, Cerebral Palsy is a diagnosis which impacts many functional abilities. It is often misunderstood by those who do not know of, or work with, an individual who has Cerebral Palsy. No matter the severity, cerebral palsy is a name with hundreds of different definitions – it all depends on who you’re asking. Since there is such a widespread misunderstanding, I thought it would be great to highlight the unique abilities of some individuals who have Cerebral Palsy.
We highlighted a few stories below that were particularly interesting, but I encourage you all to browse through the www.cerebralpalsy.org website to see other stories. It is so very important that we motivate our patients in any way we can, as this can show them their potential to participate in physical activities that may have otherwise seemed impossible. One adaptation may not work for everyone, but nevertheless, learning about the possibilities may simply spark a new idea. These stories also offer an interesting perspective for anyone who may need some extra education on the options for adapting activities and encouraging more participation from all populations!
“I think that since I have CP, one of the biggest aspects of my everyday life is the mental aspect of daily living,” he said, “So, when I began wrestling and attending occupational therapy and physical therapy, I learned that the biggest hurdle is the mental things.
Ben began wrestling in 7th grade and continued on throughout high school. Once his physical activity and fitness regimen was successful and fluent, Ben would be able to begin competing in about 12 matches per year. Being a part of a team provided him a lot of self-confidence and also helped him gain many friends. His confidence in his school work improved, which helped him work through “mainstream” classes, even when others would have deferred him from taking these courses.
“One goal I have is to compete in the 2016 Paralympics,” he said. “But they do not have wrestling. One of my goals is to become an ambassador for wrestling’s inclusion, but I’m pursuing weightlifting.”
“I guess that, for me, it’s been a long road,” Drew added. “It wasn’t easy; I’ve overcome a lot of stuff. I always tell people that [success] is not going to come easy.”
Drew participates in adaptive shot put, which originally began as a joke between friends. Drew now finds much love for the sport and holds three championships in adaptive shot put. Not letting his electric wheelchair inhibit his activity, he was determined to become an extraordinary athlete. His successes do not end with track and field as Drew also has served as class treasurer and will be running for class president as well!
“I always tell people to not let others tell you things about yourself that will interfere with reaching your goals,” he said. “I never let anyone tell me that I couldn’t do something because I had a disability. I would tell people to just do it anyway.”
Linda is a civil rights and disability attorney in Chicago. Throughout her schooling, she excelled academically, not letting her diagnosis of spastic diplegia Cerebral Palsy control her. In college she was encouraged to join the University of Illinois’ wheelchair basketball team, which she did for three years. She also decided to join the wheelchair track team, which is what led her to participate in the Paralympics.
Her confidence grew after her participation in sports. Linda competed in the World Championships in Berlin, Germany, where she won three gold medals and set two world records in the 200 and 400 meter races. In 1996, she qualified for the U.S. team again and Linda took a silver medal in the 100 meter, followed by gold – and a world record – in the 200 meter sprint. Linda competed for the U.S. in three world championships, as well as the Pan American Games and the Stoke-Mandeville Wheelchair Games, winning 15 gold and silver medals in wheelchair track!
“I think the time for tokenism is long past. I think that people with disabilities are interwoven into the fabric of our community. They are–I am–part of society, part of the community,” she said. “It is not an ‘us’ and ‘them,’ it is a ‘we.’ How are ‘we’ going to work together to ensure that people have access to the products and services they need?”
We hope these wonderful stories inspired you as much as they did us at Crawl Walk! As I shared earlier, please visit www.cerebralpalsy.org for more information on Cerebral Palsy, as well as for more inspirational stories like the ones we featured above.
Thanks for reading!
Kendell Myers, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
*All featured images of Benjamin Jackson, Drew Dees and Linda Mastandrea courtesy of www.cerebralpalsy.org.
