Friday, March 20, 2009

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day!

Hi all! Today is a special day as it is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day! We have come to know an amazing little boy named Logan who has CP--his story and his family have touched our hearts. Please take a moment to check out his blog at Life of Logan. In honor of this wonderful day, Keri, Logan's mom, is hosting a sweepstakes at the site--there are 4 great prizes you can win, so check it out!! Also grab a button for your blog--there are 3 really cute ones. I like this one:Photobucket

I would post the HTML for it, but I am evidently not that intelligent...lol...so hop over to Life of Logan and grab it. Also, wear green today in support of CP awareness!

Here are some facts about CP:
- There is currently no cure for cerebral palsy and in most cases, it is not preventable. In over 50 years, treatments for CP have not progressed much at all. In fact, today, there remains little consensus among medical professionals regarding what causes CP or how best to treat it. (As a mom of a child with an incurable condition, I deeply empathize with this--surely we can do something to help with this!!)

-Cerebral palsy is one of the most common developmental disabilities in the US, affecting at least 800,000 children, adolescents and adults in America. Cerebral palsy is NOT a disease nor should it be considered one. It is not even a simple or single disorder but rather a broad range of disorders that disrupt a person’s ability to move, sit, stand, walk, talk and use their hands. The severity of the movement disorder and the type of movement difficulties can vary greatly. Some patients have only mild difficulties with balance, walking and fine motor skills while patients at the other extreme are completely trapped in their own bodies, fighting rigid limbs, and unable to speak or swallow. (800,000 blows my mind. I can't believe there isn't more research, etc., going on about CP!)

Thanks, Keri, for doing all this work to help raise awareness!!

3 comments:

Christie Y Brown said...

I'm heading over and grabbing a badge! Tony's middle son, Evan, had CP. It was severe. He was confined to a wheelchair and could only grunt. He passed before Tony and I met, but he is still very much a part of the family!

Mia said...

thank you for sharing this! I really admire you!

Keri said...

Oh my, do you even know how much this means to me? I can't begin to thank you enough for your help spreading CP awareness. It touches my heart! You are appreciated!