Children with LD's Can Thrive too!

Cassie Fruck age 9 years old playing in the leaves November 2010

Cassie started Grade 4 at Fessenden Public school and we quickly noticed the work for grade 4 is very hard and even the first homework packages sent home I realized Cassie could not do these pages. Over the last few years Cassie has worked with a modified program and an IEP. The primary grade teachers could take the classroom homework and slash of some of it off the page and Cassie could work some of the same homework but with less questions. If the children had ten spelling words Cassie would be given 5. If the children had a page of Math Cassie could work on some of the math but with a few less questions. I have always been the parent who spends the time with the girls on their homework. Chris, if asked will spend some time and this year I have asked him frequently to step in. Julia's grade seven homework is getting pretty hard. Chris just graduated college and is great for helping out particularily with Math work. This year it was apparent to me that grade 4 work was way too difficult for Cassie. As well I noticed less and less time is given to Cassie to work on her literacy. She had been given alot of time in the last few years working on letters, phonics and words. In primary grades all children are working on literacy and alot of time is spent focusing on it in school. Cassie is still working at learning sight words and increasing the amount of words she knows.
Chris and I had an idea to post a sign at our church looking for a tutor. I was having difficulty figuring out how to assist Cassie with reading. Cassie did not seem to enjoy reading as much with me and was having attitude with her mom. Luckily for us a very very experienced teacher named Janet Weingartner offered to tutor Cassie. Cassie has now spent many weeks working with Janet. Cassie has already improved her reading and recognizes 100 or more site words. Cassie has improved in the speed of reading words she recognizes and her confidence in tackling new words seems to be growing. Cassie puts forth a great effort each week. Janet makes learning words fun and uses a program called pci education. The website for this program is http://www.pcieducation.com/ . Cassie has always worked hard in her rehabillitation, and she is putting forth the same great effort with reading. I enjoy hearing her reading! It warms my heart because I know what a struggle it has been for her. Despite the other children in Cassie's class moving ahead of her, she maintains a positive attitude and trys hard with work in school. The gap has grown fairly large unfortunatley, Chris and I had to spend a few nights greiving again after the talk with the learning resource teacher. I wondered how after all these years raising a special needs girl I could again be greiving. I guess I was exhausted thinking of the difficult journey with literacy and the problems associated with learning difficulties was overwhelming me. I approached the learning resource teacher , classroom teacher and principle. Everyone was quickly trying to get up to speed and provide me with ideas on how Cassies grade four year could be modified and stay productive for our girl. Cassie needs to work on school work that is geared to her level of learning. Sadly the school has cut down substantially her EA time despite Cassie needing it greatly for her learning disability Cassie has done so well physically and emotionally she requires much less assistance by the EA in other areas. Cassie herself is very proud that she does not have an EA in the afternoon. Despite grade 4 being a hard year, I am still excited to get the first report card. It gives us another chance to meet the teacher again to hear where Cassie is at and see what strengths the teacher has found and isolate again areas of weakness. Janet, Cassies tutor tells me I need to tell the school that Cassie needs time on her PCI program and I will do this ASAP. I rely heavily on the teachers and Cassie's new tutor telling me where Cassie is at. I am super busy and need to focus my time and energy on areas that are productive and make good use of our time. Right now I feel the biggest area to keep focusing on is literacy. If Cassie can read she can function so much better in the world. It will help her every day life and allow her to get a better job.
December 2 is a system meeting at the school to discuss Cassies progress and the next steps for her education. The meeting will include the classroom teacher, learning resource teacher, principal, special education consultant and psycho-educational consultant. I will eagerly attend and hope that again we can all get back on the same page regarding Cassie's education. The question of a different placement into a comprehensive class has been raised this year. It appears the school board advocates for integration and their is a total transparency associated with the comprehensive classes. They cant tell me where Cassie would go to school, what type of classes are offered. How these classes would benefit Cassie as opposed to integration.? What the teacher to class ratio is? Would Cassie get a better education geared towards her level of learning? Modifing Cassie's school program and working at her level at her present school is alot of work but appears to be the best option for Cassie right now. Chris very quickly shot the idea down that Cassie would go to a Comprehensive class that would not allow her to work for a high school diploma. He refuses to bus our daughter out of our town to go to school unless it was for a school that was exceptional and could provide Cassie with a better education geared towards her learning disability. The warm friendly small school of Fessenden is a school that Cassie loves. She is accepted, has many friends and understands how things work at Fessenden. She loves attending school and goes off each day with a positive attitude and is thrilled to go to school. What more can any parent ask for. Our daughter with alot of concentrated effort continues to thrive even with a significant learning disability. Thank you God for sending Janet our way. I have already learned some easy ways to help Cassie and the results gained are enourmous. We contine to aim high with our expectations regarding Cassie's education. Chris and I are moving towards acceptance, the challenges will continue each year in public school as she is exceptional and a great deal of work is needed to keep her on track. The difficulties with her learning will plague her for the rest of her academic years but children with learning difficulties can thrive and learn and Cassie surprises us and we love hearing her read!!

Cassie with her tutor Janet W.

Cuts to The Movement Lab would hurt childrens walking abilities

Funding Needed for Gait Analysis (Movement Lab at Mcmaster Children’s Hospital facing funding cuts)

Our nine-year old daughter looks like other young girl her age. Her walking abilities are so good right now a lot of people don’t even realize she was born with cerebral palsy. Cassie can run playfully at recess with the other children, walk to the park or walk her horse around the barn at her therapeutic riding club. Our daughter frequently requires an assessment of her gait or moving abilities. Gait assessments have been done before and after each procedure that Cassie has trailed. Every parents dream for their disabled child is to have them walk, thus promoting independence, accessibility and living a productive life.
The efforts to improve our daughters walking abilities; have been tireless for us as parents and successful thanks to a large team of health care specialists at Mcmaster Children’s hospital. Born with a brain injury our daughter got her first pair of leg braces by six months of age. For the first three years of her young life Cassie scooted around on her bottom, using one hand and a foot to propel herself forward, she never crawled and had extreme difficulty pulling her self up or balancing. So began the exhausting journey to rehabilitate our daughter.
The Mcmaster team consisted of physiotherapists, occupational therapists at Chedoke Developmental Rehabilitation Program, a developmental pediatrician, an orthopedic specialist, a physiatrist, an extremely talented orthotist and lastly two average parents, hard working middle class, with dreams for their daughter that she will walk as best she can. The last nine years of treatments have consisted of extensive physiotherapy, conductive education, gait training on a tread mill, new braces made every 10-12 months for nine years, serial casting procedures, botox treatments and repeated gait analysis done through Mcmasters Movement Lab. Many of the treatments remain uncovered by OHIP, causing financial hardship for parents, extended benefit struggles and fund raising efforts. The gait analysis done in the movement lab is an OHIP covered desperately needed service and this article will outline why it is so valuable.
The Movement lab is an essential service needed to improve children’s walking abilities. Located at Mcmasters Innovation Park this lab examines closely the gait of children and adults with walking problems. A movement assessment allows doctors, therapists and orthotists to look closely at how our daughter’s muscles and joint’s work when she is moving. This information helps her team make decisions about exercises, braces and surgery. It also shows the team how movement changes over time due to her growth or treatments she has undergone. The full assessment includes a collection of EMG and/or Kinematic and Kinetic info and a video. The test takes only about one and a half hours for the patient however the analysis takes many hours and is essential and useful when examining the complex walking patterns of children.
The use of the Gail Analysis guided our daughter’s orthopedic specialist decision to perform a much-needed orthopedic surgery on her left foot. Six months later our daughter walks without the aide of a wheelchair, walker or even a cane. Our nine- year old daughter is begging her dad to sign up for soccer with her best friends in Ancaster. The tireless hours invested and the specialized team approach has yielded wonderful results. The possibilities for our child are enormous. There are still promising improvements in gait analysis technology on the horizon. Our daughter needs this essential Movement lab until she reaches full height. New procedures are still being developed and planned for children with cerebral palsy or other forms of movement disorders. The Proper use of Gait analysis yields better results for patients. We are still using the Gait analysis for indications for various types of orthotics for our child. We are pursuing a new sport orthotic for our daughter and you can bet Cassie will play soccer in the near future thanks to the medical professionals at Mcmaster Children’s hospital and the Much needed Movement Laboratory!!



Cassie Fruck age 9, at the motion lab at Mcmaster Children’s Hospital prior to having orthopedic surgery. I appeal to the LHIN, local government, health care administration do not cut funding for this essential service, continue to fund the Movement lab at Mcmaster Children’s hospital please!!

Reflecting on turning 40!

My family and friends must have guessed I’d write something about turning 40. To me it is a big deal. I was born in 1970 and now its 2010 already! I really can’t believe I am at middle age. It is difficult to think I may be half way through my life already. I don’t feel 40. At the same time I love my life and am happy with where things are at right now.

After graduating from nursing school in 1993 I met Chris, The perfect man for me. Chris is tall, dark and handsome. So calm, I’m so hyper. So quiet, I’m so talkative. He thinks through things carefully, I rush ahead. We compliment each other. He slows me down and always stays calm. I speed him up, motivate him and keep things exciting! Two years ago he had a stroke. We were not paying enough attention to each other, working too hard, fighting too much. Out of bad, comes good. Now we make more time for each other, try to have our meetings like Jamie suggested. We took our first vacation together since our girls were born. Cruised the Caribbean with Bill, Triena and friends. Chris is healthy again. Next to health, Chris is the most important thing in my life. Thanks for having this 40^th birthday party for me Chris. Thanks for cleaning up the house and yard, thanks for my table and chairs a nice meeting place to talk and thanks for cooking 120 cabbage rolls! I love you with all-my heart husband.

In 1998 Julia was born the second biggest day in my life. She was so perfect, a Gerber baby. Julia won the Caledonia Fair baby contest. Colleen and Jamie thought of her name. It was the first name Chris did not say no too so I jumped at it! Julia is a perfect daughter smart, beautiful and so well liked. I really enjoy you Julia, I love being your mother. You are growing up fast.

In 2001 our second angel girl Cassandra was born. Named by Chris this time. Cassie met some complications and this was a difficult time for Chris and I. We could not bring you home for many months. The doctors told us about your brain injury and we were worried. Chris and I relied on our faith. Difficult times in life enable you to clearly see who your good friends are. Colleen and Jamie, Steve and Sue Case, Colleen and John, Aunt Helen and Dave. My family and Tex’s family all stepped up to the plate. Phone calls, visits to the hospital, food, babysitting Julia, words of encouragement it all helped. Chris and I accepted what God had in store. Cassie is so chatty like me. She makes friends with everyone. She pushes herself. She tries hard. She hardly even looks “like a girl with a disability”. She makes us so proud. She teaches us all not to feel sorry for ourselves. Cassie has the world at her doorstep. I am blessed to have my two beautiful girls. Chris and I work as a team and parenting is our favorite job.

I can’t let turning 40 go by without thanking my mom, my best friend. Mom and Joe will do anything for us. Nothing is ever too much to ask. They are the best parents in the world. They raised me well, they are the best grandparents and we will always be grateful for what they do for us. Thanks mom, your baby girl is turning 40.

I am a very blessed person. I am lucky enough to have the same girlfriends since public school. Laura, Chrissy, Colleen, Susan and Tracy. Over 30 years of true friendship with these gals. Girl friends are important to me. They remind me I can still look hot and that 40 is really the new 30! I will always make time for my girlfriends. It never matters how long it has been since we last visited. I am glad to see them when I can. I love them and am blessed to have them.

New friends have been added since living in Ancaster. Graema, Susi, Giselle, Deb, Janet, Andrea. They make Ancaster home. They are involved in my everyday life. Thanks for being a part of my birthday party friends.

Lastly, I am so blessed to have a very big supportive family. I have brothers and sisters, the Fruck family, the Wazny family, gramps, aunts, uncles and cousins. We try to get together often. We teach our children how important family is. I wanted to be sure to include you all in this milestone of me turning 40. I am always loved and supported in my family. I am one lucky girl.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes, Have fun at my party. Laugh, Eat and Love I am really going to enjoy this day. I hope I have another good 40 years!!

Love Kate

A Trip Back to Ability Camp

We heard some of the boys from Cassies class were back at Ability camp so we took off back to Picton Ontario to see some friends. Left is Chris working with Dre on the wall in the classroom. Cassie loved going back to camp. The bond remains strong with her friends she worked hard with at camp.

Cassie, Dre, Julia and Jessie in the halls or Ability camp

Cassie and her good friend Dre from Michigan. They stayed with us on their way to camp and on their last night before heading home.

Dre, Samuel, Jessie and Cassie all alittle bit older. I hope these friends can stay in touch. It is special for Cassie to have other friends with cerebral palsy. So great to see you boys again!!

AncasterNews.com: Opinions & Letters: Article: Battle of strong personalities hurt two organizations with good overall missions

AncasterNews.com: Opinions & Letters: Article: Battle of strong personalities hurt two organizations with good overall missions

A Trip to the Fracture clinic and a new Purple Cast

We went to Mcmaster Fracture clinic and they removed Cassie's Cast. The foot has two pins and three incisions. They washed the foot and looked at the surgical incisions. The foot seems to be healing well. There is not alot of swelling and the incisions look intact. Cassie got to pick the color of the next cast. Dr. Burrows recasted her in with this bright purple!! We go again May 3, 2010.

Recovery and Visits from Friends

Cassie is so glad to be home. Julia is so glad to have Cassie home. Julia and Laura could hardly wait to see Cassie. Laura brought Cassie Get Well Balloons which we tied to the wheelchair. Laura says " Don't float away Cassie!".

Aunt Helen was first to arrive. She came with her sharp sewing scissors and we cut us some old pants to fit over the cast. Thanks Aunt Helen.

Cassie's friend Shelby and her older sister Kelsey arrived with two cool magazines about Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus. Shelby kept Cassie amused for almost two hours. Thanks Shelby!! You are a terrific friend.























Cassie with her Dad and Dog after a warm shower which felt so good! Cassie is doing well hoping around with a walker and some supervision. I think the walker may strengthen up the weak left hand. Yes I am always thinking of ways to do more therapy.

We are welcoming some more company this weekend to keep Cassie entertained!

Day Two in the hospital

Cassie's physiotherapist and her student physiotherapist Kyra. Learning how to move without weight bearing on left foot in the physio gym at Mcmaster Children's hospital.

Day two in hospital. Cassie did great, woke every few hours for her pain meds, vital signs and a check of her foot. She easily fell back asleep in between after the exhaustion of the first day. Roommate number 2 was a 71/2 girl named Jamie who unfortunately fell at the playground and fractured her arm. The same orthopedic surgeon did surgery on Jamie's arm. Reminds me as a parent how quickly an accident can happen. Dr. Burrows visited Cassie twice. A nice surprise was Dr. Gorter visited Cassie as well. Thanks for the warm wishes Dr. Gorter. He says we will repeat the motion lab after the recovery. It will be fun to see the improvements in the foot position and walking abilities. Cassie did so well we were able to go home. Mom and her had already learned how to transfer before the physio even arrived. A huge amount of the day was spent by Chris looking to rent some pediatric equipment. Walker, wheelchair and some bathroom equipment. Cassie was not eligible for CCAC so we had to pay for the pieces. A tribute to how well she does but unfortunate as the pieces cost around $200. 00 for the month. Craig from Shoppers Home health hooked us up and rushed the delivery so we could be discharged home at 4:00pm. The first walker with a forearm support did not work for Cassie, the hospital had no crutches or walkers to try out while we were there. I think I will give feedback to the therapists that they should have some equipment available to try but 3C is not straight orthopedics and we had no equipment and there was too much clutter trying to get a commode to the washroom which was in the hall not in the child's room. Things went too well to let small things annoy us. Chris took the prescription for pain meds to Shoppers ahead of time and it was a good thing because they would not fill the script as it lacked some information. A few glitches, but they were rectified with perseverance. Craig from Shoppers picked up the one walker, switched it for another and we rented a commode as our bathroom is too small for a wheelchair and walker. It was amazing to get home so quick and Cassie is doing well.























A view of the nursing station from Cassie's bed. We ran into numerous other professionals that know Cassie Susan from the Infant Parent Program recognized me right away. She had not seen Cassie for eight years. A friend from work has a baby who has been admitted for six weeks and some friends from church who's beautiful daughter Hannah has a brain tumor. We have Hannah in our thoughts and prayers and her entire family. It is difficult to know why some children have to suffer and please pray for this beautiful child.

Cassie had fun text'ing her cousins and friends to let them know she was alright!












A very special visitor Pastor Frank from our church St Johns Evangelical Lutheran on Hughson in Hamilton. The same church did fund raising for Cassie to attend Ability camp and receive some uncovered medical treatments. Pastor Frank made Cassie smile, visited with us and said prayers for healing. Thanks very much Pastor Frank. You are a special man!!


Cassie enjoyed taking pictures of her own foot and cast!!

Awake after surgery

Cassie allowed Daddy to walk her to the OR and allowed Mommy to help wake her up in recovery. The staff warmly invited me into the Post Anesthetic Care unit (PACU).
All children react differently to anethesia but Cassie seems to react well. Dr. Burrows met us in the waiting room before I entered and she told us Cassie was already awake and doing well! The nurse continually assessed Cassie's pain and responded promptly to her needs. Cassie's length of stay in this unit was short.


Dr. Burrows told both parents she felt the surgery was successful. She has some further ideas regarding another treatment involving muscle stimulation for her left foot. I think she stated there are only two wires into the foot instead of four pins like we were expecting. She said the foot appeared to line up really nicely. They inserted a pain block into the left foot and thus Cassie had no pain in her left foot. The block lasted eight hours and made post op Day one pretty easy. Cassie was moved into a room on 3C. It is really an experience staying in a pediatric ward. Lots of noise, crying children and babies, lights, nurses and families living in close proximity. I had stayed on the unit for six weeks when Cassie had a shunt infection and somehow I got used to this commotion but I found it very exhausting this time around. Cassie's first roomate was a baby girl 7 weeks old named Kennedy but she was being discharged so we did not get to know this family. It was glorious having the room to ourselves, Chris rearranged the furniture and found me a more comfortable chair that made a cot. We also confiscated the remote control for the big screen TV. This is a nice luxury that was not there during our last stay. Very good to distract children who are recovering.







I picture of the nice white cast. Cassie was told to keep it elevated on pillows and she did a good job following orders. There was a oxygen saturation monitor on the big toe and it was easy to check CSM. Colour, Sensation and movement often.







Some bannana popsicles helped wet the dry whistle almost as soon as we arrived. The red candy cane gown was quiet cute as well. Cassie would not use her weak hand while the IV was in, I think it freaked her out because it was positional and the pump kept beeping.



Supportive Grammy back at the bedside amusing Cassie with her Camera

Club Foot Surgery Day April 6, 2010 at 0800am

We were up at 0530 and at the hospital at 0630. Cassie had some nerves but having Grammy arrive at our house made the world of difference. Grammy kept Cassie amused with stories, pictures from her camera and songs. Grammy had been to all Cassie's pre-op visits at Mcmaster Children's hospital with the child life worker Tara. Grammy is Cassie's special safe person and Chris and I are forever indebted to her for all her assistance. You are a very very special Grammy. Words cant express how much you are loved and appreciated.

Cassie's Oma visited the night before the surgery and brought Cassie a comfort bear and lots of love and kind words as well. Grammy always says what is better than one Grammy "Two Grammy's " Thanks for your support wonderful grandmothers.

Cassie found bravery for each step of the OR process, she had quiet tears and sobs into mommy but only when no one was looking. Here Cassie is ready and she found comfort laying on her Daddy. Big Strong comforting Daddy. Chris did the more difficult job of walking her into the OR. The team was excellent they know Cassie has needle phobia and they gave her a mask to put her to sleep. Cassie cried but had no real melt downs and was in Sleepy land before she knew it. Thanks to the wonderful staff and the Pediatric Family Support program at the Children's hospital for understanding our girls fears and helping make things go smoothly.

The Pediatric Family Support Program are leaders in family centered care. The program allows a parent to be present in the operating room and Chris was present while Cassie went through the anesthetic induction. They were very sensitive to Cassie's needle phobia and used a mask to administer anesthetic and did the IV once Cassie was asleep. Three children all waited together and Cassie watched the other children and followed along. The volunteer for the waiting room was also wonderful keeping us informed and helping us find washrooms, coffee and bringing me right in to the PACU recovery unit the minute Cassie was awake.

Some Pictures of Cassie's left foot the day before surgery

Cassie's twisted left foot. Hope to show you some great shots after orthopedic surgery. Cassie has not had even a minutes nerves so far. We go at 0630 and surgery is at 0800am for approximately 3 hours. I will keep you posted on the recovery. Thanks so much for all the well wishes.
Kate

The Merger of TEAD and SPCA

My daughter has been an active member of TEAD for seven years now. 18 months ago we received written notification of the amalgamation of TEAD and the SPCA. We have since attended volunteer appreciation events where both organizations recognized the contributions and hard work of its volunteers. There was never any mention that the amalgamation of the two organizations was not yet legalized. As a member, volunteer and mother of a rider at TEAD I had no idea that either a new or an old council of the SPCA could just hold a new vote and the entire amalgamation could be dissolved right before our eyes. I also hate how the entire battle of strong personalities on board councils hurt organizations with good missions over all. When the organizations first amalgamated my husband and I did question the compatibility of the two organizations, we were frankly quiet surprised to here that they had amalgamated but we had no idea that there was such controversy. We fear that this controversy will now hurt our organization TEAD who did an excellent job, providing written explanations and formal discussion about the merger to its members. I feel strongly that the new SPCA board needs to answer to how the two organizations who have functioned together for eighteen months can now be split apart with no thoughts to how to support TEAD out of this mess.

I will speak about the organization TEAD to explain its terrific programs and how children with disabilities receive riding instruction in a club that I know as outstanding. My nine year old daughter Cassandra chose riding as her sport and has grown to be very accomplished on a horse through excellent instructors in a well organized program. Learning equestrian riding, forging valued friendships, participating in demonstrations of therapeutic ridding and working in the barns caring for therapeutic horses has been a part of her entire life. Cassandra with cerebral palsy supported by TEAD showcased therapeutic riding at the Royal Winter Fair. Four young disabled riders participated in the Musical Ride dressed in a lion costume. They thrilled audiences in the Spirit of the Horse Arena riding to theme of lion king and TEAD instructors and directors arranged the entire event two years in a row. Cassandra has experienced dreams of a lifetime for a young equestrian rider. She has been sponsored to ride some of her lessons and we were not charged money when she participated and showcased her talent’s as lots of donations go directly to young riders. Cassie met the entire Olympic Jumping Team, was awarded ribbons and a gift of riding gloves from VIP equestrians such as Ian Millar and Jill Henselwood. The Royal Winter Fairs professional photographer Michelle Dunn personally delivered a life size poster of Cassie riding her therapeutic horse Champion and this poster hangs proudly in the Clubhouse at TEAD. Other events included participating in a days event at Foxcroft riding stables showcasing therapeutic riding. Cassandra spent the day with other horse enthusiasts riding and hanging out with dozens of able bodied young horse crazed girls who toured her around their stables and shared their love of horses and riding with our young girl. Cassie also competed in Ontras Prince Philip games and place second with her team of four disabled riders and continues to have dreams of competing in pare Olympic events. These events were significant to my daughter’s love of equestrian riding and were organized by the executive director of TEAD Hillary Web. I have not even begun to describe her weekly lessons include; high quality instruction, Cassandra has bonded with her lifelong friends Katelyn and Ashyln. Along with her best ridding buddies she loves a spectacular family with three disabled children Damian, Tina and Eva who meet Cassie each week with smiles, friendship and the love of learning to ride horses. Any time I have had financial difficulties paying for the expensive riding lessons that help rehabilitate my daughter; TEAD looks for sponsorship, helps me fill out forms for grants and special funding and waits for payments that I have made late. Cassie continues each week to ride thanks to the countless volunteers and financial donations TEAD receives. Cassie is quite an accomplished nine- year old equestrian rider.

The dogfight that has erupted between existing board members and the past board member at the SPCA is a terrible shame and controversy. I do not understand the business side of organizations but as a contributor financially to non-profit organizations it is important to tell a donor exactly where their money is being used. It was my understanding that the SPCA would use special project funds and donations and partner with TEAD who does a terrific job fundraising and is forth coming in how their money is used. The question of fit of the two organizations; and the philosophy of whether a charity offering equine therapy to children with disabilities and a charity that helps abused and abandoned animals should have been answered in full prior to the amalgamation. This dogfight has hurt the reputation of the SPCA and it is my desired to protect the organization TEAD as for six years it has been my daughters home away from home, club and summer day camp. All my daughter cares about is the organization stays strong, continues to provide the excellent level riding experience and that other children benefit in the way she has growing up involved in this wonderful organization. I pray the division of the SPCA and TEAD does not hurt TEAD and if it does shame on everyone of the board members of the SPCA new and old alike. It is time to get your act together.

Kathy Fruck

Member, volunteer and mother of a young rider at TEAD

Some pictures of Cassie demonstrating Therapeutic Riding at the Royal

Another amazing person with cerebral palsy- Miss Iowa 2008

http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/08/22/a-beauty-queen-3003/

Reigning Miss Iowa USA Abbey Curran is reportedly the first Miss USA contestant and state winner with cerebral palsy. Curran wore leg braces until she was ten and now walks with a limp that occasionally means she needs to lean on a designated escort during pageants. Growing up on a hog farm in Illinois, Curran says she admired the beauty queens at the county fair and decided to pursue the title herself when a teacher told her she would never be able to compete.
Abbey says, “I hope America doesn’t see a girl who walks differently. I hope they see someone who can compete like anyone else.”

In 2004, Curran founded the nonprofit “Miss You Can Do It,” a beauty pageant for girls and young women with developmental disabilities. She also speaks nationally as a motivational speaker. Curran is a sophomore public-relations major at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and plans to become a commercial airline pilot.

A speech written by my oldest daughter Julia Fruck Age 11 years

Cerebral Palsy

They are committed to hard work; continuous training to improve their skills; and determination each and every day to better their best. Maybe you think I am talking about an individual on the Canadian Olympic Team but actually I am talking about disabled people with cerebral palsy. People with cerebral palsy don’t train for a competition that comes around every four years their competition starts when they wake up in the morning. Every day struggles include holding their tooth brush to brush their teeth. Moving across the room may include a wheelchair, walker or leg braces. Holding a pencil to write their school notes takes concentration because of brain injury or muscle weakness. As an eleven year old girl I have learned so much about cerebral palsy because my little sister Cassie has cerebral palsy. Through her journey of rehabilitation I have made a lot of friends that have disabilities and today I am going to share with you how people with disabilities overcome struggles in their everyday life. I feel each one is deserving of an Olympic Gold Medal.

Cerebral refers to the brains two half’s or hemispheres. Palsy describes any disorder that impairs control of body movement. Cerebral Palsy can range from mild to severe. The symptoms of Cerebral Palsy include: difficulty with walking and balance, difficulty with fine motor skills such as writing or cutting with scissors. Some people have uncontrolled movements or difficulty with speech.

Cerebral palsy is caused from a brain injury. Often the condition happens at birth from the baby having: bleeding in the brain or a difficult delivery where the baby did not get enough oxygen while being born. Cerebral Palsy can not be cured. Symptoms of cerebral palsy can be managed through rehabilitation and therapy. The good news is the brain is able to compensate even if it has extensive damage affects it. Children can find a way to adapt to changes in the way their brain works. They often find ways to do the things they love to do. They just do them in different ways.

My sister has participated in Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, orthopedic surgery, casting, Botox and braces for her spastic feet. Cassie attended Ability camp and participated in therapy with 12 other children with cerebral palsy. I was able to visit this camp and met remarkable children who were working on goals to improve their functioning. I witnessed Samuel who was nine improve his walking skills. I heard he has progressed from walker, to two canes to walking with no aides at present. Eva a sweet red headed eight year old with worked on her sitting balance and improved her ability to hold herself up when trying to stand. 12 year old Jessie attended camp numerous times. He is able to ride his bike with no training wheels, stand on risers to sing in the school choir and does competitive Para Olympic swimming to keep him-self strong and improve his muscles.

A great program in our area for children with cerebral palsy is TEAD, therapeutic horse back riding for Disabled. Our family has found the therapeutic benefits of riding a horse have improved Cassie’s symptoms of cerebral palsy. Horse back riding requires balance, physical strength and helps muscle leg weakness. I also noticed the children gain self confidence and enjoy the warm therapeutic bond with the horse.

After meeting these kids you see they have been thought a lot but they are still just like you and me just with a little bit of trouble with things we do everyday.

A speach written by my oldest daughter Julia Fruck Age 11 years

Cerebral Palsy

They are committed to hard work; continuous training to improve their skills; and determination each and every day to better their best. Maybe you think I am talking about an individual on the Canadian Olympic Team but actually I am talking about disabled people with cerebral palsy. People with cerebral palsy don’t train for a competition that comes around every four years their competition starts when they wake up in the morning. Every day struggles include holding their tooth brush to brush their teeth. Moving across the room may include a wheelchair, walker or leg braces. Holding a pencil to write their school notes takes concentration because of brain injury or muscle weakness. As an eleven year old girl I have learned so much about cerebral palsy because my little sister Cassie has cerebral palsy. Through her journey of rehabilitation I have made a lot of friends that have disabilities and today I am going to share with you how people with disabilities overcome struggles in their everyday life. I feel each one is deserving of an Olympic Gold Medal.

Cerebral refers to the brains two half’s or hemispheres. Palsy describes any disorder that impairs control of body movement. Cerebral Palsy can range from mild to severe. The symptoms of Cerebral Palsy include: difficulty with walking and balance, difficulty with fine motor skills such as writing or cutting with scissors. Some people have uncontrolled movements or difficulty with speech.

Cerebral palsy is caused from a brain injury. Often the condition happens at birth from the baby having: bleeding in the brain or a difficult delivery where the baby did not get enough oxygen while being born. Cerebral Palsy can not be cured. Symptoms of cerebral palsy can be managed through rehabilitation and therapy. The good news is the brain is able to compensate even if it has extensive damage affects it. Children can find a way to adapt to changes in the way their brain works. They often find ways to do the things they love to do. They just do them in different ways.

My sister has participated in Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, orthopedic surgery, casting, Botox and braces for her spastic feet. Cassie attended Ability camp and participated in therapy with 12 other children with cerebral palsy. I was able to visit this camp and met remarkable children who were working on goals to improve their functioning. I witnessed Samuel who was nine improve his walking skills. I heard he has progressed from walker, to two canes to walking with no aides at present. Eva a sweet red headed eight year old with worked on her sitting balance and improved her ability to hold herself up when trying to stand. 12 year old Jessie attended camp numerous times. He is able to ride his bike with no training wheels, stand on risers to sing in the school choir and does competitive Para Olympic swimming to keep him-self strong and improve his muscles.

A great program in our area for children with cerebral palsy is TEAD, therapeutic horse back riding for Disabled. Our family has found the therapeutic benefits of riding a horse have improved Cassie’s symptoms of cerebral palsy. Horse back riding requires balance, physical strength and helps muscle leg weakness. I also noticed the children gain self confidence and enjoy the warm therapeutic bond with the horse.

After meeting these kids you see they have been thought a lot but they are still just like you and me just with a little bit of trouble with things we do everyday.

A family day together. Getting ready for orthopedic surgery

Left Foot posterior release, med column lengthening and lateral column shortening

The decision about Cassie having orthopedic surgery has been a difficult one. The decision to proceed has involved many people. Cassie and I went to the orthopedic clinic at Mcmaster Children's Hospital and we saw Dr. Sarah Burrows, her resident doctor and the physiotherapist who attends the clinic. We had not seen Dr. Burrows in eight months. Quite quickly into the assessment Dr. Burrows asked me if I was going to let her fix Cassie's foot. We have seen this doctor every year and I half expected her to say see you next year! I listened carefully to all she had to say, asked lots of questions and then went home to talk to Chris. Chris also phoned the doctor to hear about the surgery, what it involved and was active in the decision making process. Dr. Burrows is extremely understanding and kind. In the last year Cassie has had a number of assessments and treatments including the movement lab, trials of botox and video taping she has also done physiotherapy and we have worked hard at home stretching her foot. Dr. Burrow has determined that it is an appropriate time to try to correct the foot position and that the surgery is needed. As parents we had a difficult time deciding because Cassie has had a terrible time with the Botox procedures. Again, our family has pulled together, remained strong and steadfast. Cassie has accepted that she is having surgery and is starting to think about how she will get around in her wheelchiar. Dr. Burrows seems to feel Cassie has matured and nine is a good age and she has been quite reassuring that Cassie can cope. I appreciate all the postive reassurance she has given us. Sharon Carr saw Cassie at the Prothetics and Orthotics department. She adjusted Cassie's foot brace. She used a model of a foot to explain the surgery (very helpful) and she measured and took pictures of Cassie's foot presurgery. Cassie will be non-weight bearing for four weeks on her left foot after her operation. She will stay in Mcmaster Childrens hospital for two nights.
The surgeon will put four pins into her foot and she will have a cast. After the pins are pulled out a new foot brace is made. I am not too sure if Cassie will be able to learn crutches because of her weak hand, but we will for sure have a wheelchair and she is excited about being pushed around (princess Cassie). I am starting to make plans and have phoned her school therapists and have asked the principal for extra EA help. We are anxiously awaiting a surgery date and it looks like it will be March or April. Cassie will have the cast off by summer!!
We are moving forward, accepting what is to come and supporting our beautiful girl through the anxiety she faces with another medical procedure.
God Bless you darling girl. We love you very much and we cant wait to see your foot and hopefully it helps your walking and that you are pleased.

Written by Tylor Bugarjia-Brock Age 14 for an assignment for grade 9

Tylor Bugarija-Brock

There are lots of hero's in life. Movie stars, sports stars, police officers, teachers, firemen and many more but my hero is A nine year old girl and her name is Cassie Fruck. She is my Aunt Kate’s youngest daughter. Cassie lives in Ancaster and we see her and her big sister Julia, Mom and Dad all of the time.

They have a trailer on the lake where my Grama’s trailer is . Cassie loves to ride her bike, play on the swings and in the play ground. She took private swimming lessons last year and over came her big fear of water. Now she jumps in and splashes and laughs. Cassie is friendly to everyone. She says everybody is her friend. She has big brown eyes and she smiles and laughs a lot. She wants to do all of the things I do. I help her with basket ball, jumping on our trampoline and she likes to play baseball with me. I ride my bike around the park and she goes with me. She has a special bike , but she still needs to work hard pedalling to get anywhere.

Cassie wears a brace on her left leg and foot and has a hand brace. She was born with Cerebal palsy. Cass had a bleed in her brain before she was born. After birth they had to do surgery on Cass and put a thing called a shunt in her brain to let off the fluid. On the x-ray we could see the big hole in part of her brain. She got real sick and just about died a couple of months later. They changed the shunt and that saved her. Cassie did not learn to walk for a long time. She has had different casts on and off of her hand and foot She goes to therapy every week and has done this for years. She has to practice everything that I do easily over and over to be able to get it right. She has spent alot of time in hospitols and Doctor’s offices .

The reason Cassie is my hero is she never lets life get to her. She tries hard to do everything and she is happy when she can do even a little bit of what she is trying to do. She never complains that she can not do stuff. She always says she will try harder, no matter how hard she is already trying. Cassie may not grow up to be a doctor or a lawyer but I know Cassie will grow up to do things that help other peoples life be better. That is why my cousin Cassie is my hero.

Tylor in the blue hat holding his younger sister Sarah. All the cousins at Christmas. Cassie to the right holding her youngest cousin Bella. Carly, Julia, Cole and Emily.

A Most Difficult Week but some things to be happy about!

Today was Cassie's school system meeting. IPRC meeting is the correct term. Identification, Placement, Review Committee. The goal of today's meeting was to pursue an Identification of Communication-Learning Disability for Cassie. These identifications are very important in Canada's school system as it allows the school to access more resources, get more funding and it as it reassures myself that the school, teacher, learning resource teacher and EA's understand Cassie special needs and then they are able to provide the best support for Cassie's education.
The Ministry Definition of Learning Disability is as follows:
A learning disorder evident in both academic and social situations that involves one or more of the processes necessary for the proper use of spoken language or the symbols of communication, and that is characterized by a condition that is not primarily the result of impairment of vision, impairment of hearing, physical disability, developmental disability, primary emotional disturbance and cultural differences and results in a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability, with deficits in one or more of the following:-receptive language (listening, reading), language processing(thinking, conceptualizing, integrating), expressive language(talking, spelling, writing); mathematical computations. May be associated with one or more conditions diagnosed as a perceptual handicap: a brain injury minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia or developmental aphasia.

Cassie met all 5 of the boards criteria and thus was she was given a Communication Learning Disability exceptionality. Cassie already had a physical exceptionality related to her cerebral palsy but the learning disablity exceptionality will now come first as it requires the most amount of resources and time from the school at this point in time. I am glad this meeting is finally done. I feel the meeting went extremely well. Nothing was a surprise to me in todays meeting as we had extensive testing of Cassie done this summer. We were aware of a significant discrepancy between Cassie's abilities and her academic achievement in numerous areas. There had been lots of discussion previously with Mr. Moase and Mrs Holloway and we were aware as to where Cassie is in her educational level. Cassie is learning at a beginning grade 1 level and has low literacy skills, difficulty with working memory and executive functioning and needs various class room strategies to ensure success.
I heard such wonderful comments today about my daughter which is always nice to hear from others:
"Cassie uses great coping mechanisms", "Cassie is very hard working", "Cassie is so pleasant and up beat and social in the classroom and at recess". The Speech and Language Pathologist enjoyed working with Cassie very much and found her caring and thoughtful. The teacher finds her a pleasure and enjoys having her in the classroom. The team expressed surprise at Cassie's love of school with her significant learning problems. They attribute it to a positive family life with supportive parents and big sister and a good school like Fessenden. Apparently, Cassie pushes herself and works hard. She is a people pleaser and wants very much to succeed.
Being blessed with these wonderful qualities and getting the offical exceptionality on her school record, I feel positive that we have some direction to help us progress Cassie in her education. Special education resources will be very helpful as they have been in the past.

Monday Cassie went to Mcmaster hospital for her Botox needles. Cassie had a terrible time. The nurses were unable to start Cassie's IV and she had four IV pokes. She is bruised down her entire arm. Cassie lost it after the third poke. None of the previous strategies we had learned worked. Cassie was given lots of Ativan and was majorally distressed. She would not lay on the bed, she would not put on the heart monitor or the oxygen sat monitor. She screamed and cried and it was very hard on all of us. I am sure the team at Mcmaster felt bad as well. They do not like to see a child in such distress. Dr. Mesterman spoke to the family twice after the procedure offering words of wisdom. We respect this doctor greatly but we have made a family decision to stop Botox procedures. We have witnessed some benefits to getting the needles. However the botox wears off quite quickly and the difficulty these treatments pose for our 9 year old daughter has caused too much strain on the family.
I was able to have a long discussion with Cassie's Physiotherapist. We have given it our best all around effort. As a family we have decieded to listen to our daughter, respect her choices and attempt to build trust again. We have decided we will not force her to comply with treatments at this time. We will revisit with her when she is older the option of Botox treatments. We will turn our attention to some of the other therapies we enjoy doing with our girl. Our focus will be looking for exercises that can assist her to strenghten her tight hand and foot, stretching excercises learned in the past can be utilized more often. Cassie has exercise balls, trampoline and weights in our basement so our committment to spend more time together as a family working on fitness. Thirdly, we will invest our time and energy on literacy skills, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy and being active.
Last night Cassie took her first swimming lesson at Ancaster Aquatic Centre. Considering she has a movement and muscle disorder she is working extremely hard to learn how to swim. Her goal is to learn to swim across a pool. I feel good about the decisions we have made. We are an extremely busy family and need to focus our attention on areas we feel give us the best sense of balance in our life. We value our family time.

Cassie with her dad turns 9 years old!! Happy Birthday Kiddo. We love you very much big girl.