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.