I felt the need to inform Wattpad-ers about Cerebral Palsy (CP). Most of you would not know what CP even is or what it has to do with, but I know plenty. CP is a condition.
Cerebral Palsy might affect:
~ Walking.
~ Speech.
~ Eye sight.
~ Delayed motor development skills such as: poor coordination of total and fine motor skills.
And to reassure you, CP is not contagious in any way, shape or form. If you were born with CP it does not mean that you could pass it on to your children.
CP might be caused by:
~ Changes in, or injury to, the developing brain before or during birth, or sometimes in early childhood.
~ Rubella during pregnancy.
~ Meningitis in young children.
~ Or accidental injury to the brain. But there are many, many more.
But there are many ways that people with Cerebral Palsy manage daily life. Some of them are:
~ Walkers.
~ Wheelchairs.
~ Power chairs.
~ Scooters.
~ Leg braces.
~ Speech devices.
~ Crutches.
~ Canes.
~ Physical therapy and more.
But that can vary with the different types of CP. The four main types are:
~ Spastic: Increased muscle tone is the defining characteristic of this type. The muscles are stiff (spastic), and movements are jerky or awkward. This is the most common type of CP, accounting for about 70% to 80% of cases.
~ Ataxic: This type affects balance and coordination. Depth perception is usually affected. He or she has difficulty with movements that are quick or require a great deal of control, such as writing. About 5% to 10% of cases of cerebral palsy are of this type.
~ Athetoid: The person has uncontrolled movements that are slow and writhing. The movements can affect any part of the body, including the face, mouth, and tongue. About 10% to 20% of cerebral palsy cases are of this type.
~ Mixed: This is a mixture of different types of cerebral palsy. A common combination is spastic and athetoid.
Cerebral Palsy has a mix of groups that affect different limbs. Here are the main five:
~ Quadriplegia: All four limbs are involved.
~ Diplegia: All four limbs are involved. Both legs are more severely affected than the arms.
~ Hemiplegia: One side of the body is affected. The arm is usually more involved than the leg.
~ Triplegia: Three limbs are involved, usually both arms and a leg.
~ Monoplegia: Only one limb is affected, usually an arm.
CP can be severe or mild. New data shows that 1 in 278 kids will be diagnosed with CP.
_____________________________________________________________
____________
My beloved sister, Alannah, has Severe Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, and has since she was born. When she was, the doctors said she would never make it. But she's almost eighteen, now, and she's a fighter. People may stare on the street, but they're staring because they're jealous of the angel in a wheelchair that me and my family cherish and love. I know she can't tell me, but I know that when Alannah smiles at me, she's saying , "I love you, Bree."
If you or someone you know and love are affected with Cerebral Palsy, please comment on this book and tell me your challenges and triumphs. Because I know I've had many of them :)
