“Motherhood is about raising and celebrating the child you have, not the child you thought you would have. It’s about understanding that she is exactly the person she is supposed to be. And that, if you’re lucky, she just might be the teacher who turns you into the person you are supposed to be.”-The Water Giver

What Is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

Cerebral palsy affects people in different ways and can affect body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. Although cerebral palsy is a permanent life-long condition, some of these signs of cerebral palsy can improve or worsen over time.

People who have cerebral palsy may also have visual, learning, hearing, speech, epilepsy and intellectual impairments.

My twelve-year-old daughter, Camryn, has Quadriplegic Spastic Cerebral Palsy. She can only functionally use one out of four limbs and that limb is her left arm. She uses a power wheelchair to move around and get where she wants to go. She is dependent on others for everything from eating to toileting. You would think that all of this would be so depressing for her but it is not. She always has a smile on her face, a laugh in her lungs, or a caring word to say to everyone she meets. She is NOT defined by her wheelchair, her diagnosis, or her daily struggles. She chooses to be happy not sad, optimistic not depressed, and hopeful not hopeless. If only all of us could be as optimistic, loving, and caring as she is.

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What is Cerebral Palsy? 

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