Don't just think of Christie Brown. (Cerebral Palsy)

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Product:	Cerebral Palsy
Date:	23/10/01 (96 review reads)
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Advantages: PLEASE SEE OP

Disadvantages: PLEASE SEE OP

Birth and Operations...

Deep breath. I have cerebral palsy. I have cerebral palsy because I was born too fast, being the nosy bugger that I am , I just couldn't wait, I'd already missed half the seventees and wasn't gonna hang around.

No seriously I was two months premature and weighed just 3lb. I developed cerebral palsy (CP) because I inhaled too much oxygen and part of my brain just popped.

The doctors thought I had clicked hips up until I was two or so, then they realised it was more than that.

The prognosis wasn't good, according to the doctor I would:

Never be able to walk.
Never be able to talk.
Have to wear nappies my whole life.


My Nain (Gran) punched the doctor and two years later I had my first major surgery

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I had a achilles tendons cut, so my feet were flat, my hanmstrings lengthened, to promote better walking and tendons in my groin lengthened for more movement.

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My parents were really anxious about this whole procedure, but they were determined that I was going to have the best life I possibly could have.

Looking back on the whole thing, I can honestly say that they made the right choice.

How can you tell a five year old they are going to be in plaster from the waist down and then have to have intensive physiotherapy?

I hated it of course and used to take off my night splints and throw them down the stairs (my splints were to keep my legs straight as I slept), I also used to complain that I couldn't have the same pretty shiny shoes as everyone else because I had calipers like Forrest Gump. Honestly I did. Every time I see that scene I cry a little...

Anyway, by the age of twelve, I managed
to get rid of the splints only to be told I was going to have surgery again... or at least think about it. I agreed.

Warning skip if squeamish
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i had a pioneering operation. in fact I would be as bold as to say that this was one of the most major events in my life to date.

I had the muscle transplanted from the front of my leg to the back ( or the other way round I can never remember), pieces of my hip grafted into my feet to make them straighter and my hips released.

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The surgery was split into to separate weeks and I had to stay in hospital for nine weeks.

Being Lucky...

Don't think I am typing this , so that you all pat me on the back and say how incredibly brave I am. I did (and will continue to persevere) but all in all I was lucky.

When people who don't know me see me up and about, they do not always realise that things could have been far , far worse for me.

CP is not a syndrome. Yes, people with CP do have some things in common, but all in all, it has varying degrees. I would say that I am a moderate. I say this because I once knew a bloke with CP who just had a limp (mild).

I also went to nursery school with a boy called Jason, who used to lie on a mat and make screetching noises. So don't tell me I'm brave Jason was the brave one.

If you have a child with CP, I am probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, but your attitude and decisions make the world of difference.. if you need support contact www.scope.com

Adulthood and later life...

I am now a young adult. At twenty five I have been told that there is only one more operation they can do for me, but as this involves breaking my legs and resetting my kneecaps, I'm not really all that
keen.

I will get it done if I ever want to get married or have children, so I can carry the kids around, but as this op may also result in me ending up in a wheelchair full time, I think I'll have to put some more thought into it, nearer the time.


I have also read that because of the way that CP effects the way that we walk, people with CP are more prone to osteoporosis, with the onset begining as early as thirty.

I have also read that it is advisable to stretch and use our muscles as often as possible... I must use this as a chat up line some time.

To be honest, if you are a parent,friend or relative of a person who has CP,just be aware of this, speaking from personal experience, I think that early adulthood is the most challenging time.

It is only now that I have to do everything for myself that I realise how this disability does limit me in some ways.

I also know that as I am growing older , I am also becoming more afeared of old age, because my body has so many little gremlins without age adding it's two penneth worth.

Scope has recently stopped its service for young adults in Liverpool... so I have been trying to pluck up the courage to ask my doctor some stuff, ah but a little learning is a dangerous thing, so not yet. Not yet.


As a student...


All students with disabilities are eligble for a Disabled Student Allowance. You can find out from your Student Union or Local Education Authority.

I recieved help last year, such as internet access for ahem research purposes. Don't grass me up will ya?

As a woman on the street...

I may get a lot of people annoyed with this. I am not politically correct at all sometimes ( as those of you who are accustomed to my ways will know). I am the first person to admit that I can be a bolshy character.

But next time you see a person in a wheelchair think of this opinion.

I am v
ery sociable and outgoing, but when the 1000th person of the evening comes up to you and says:

' I have a cousin in a wheelchair. Rachel. Do you know her?'

or

You're standing on the bus and an old woman shouts ' Get out of the way young man for this cripple'

You realise that although people don't mean it in a nasty way, their ignorance is more annoying than hurtful, so just think before you say something. Not too hard like, don't ponder it for days, then again you might strike lucky and meet a disabled person with a sense of humour. What a rarity:)


Conclusion

I would be a liar if I said that I don't get annoyed by the crap legs thing sometimes, but when push comes to shove I am glad I have CP.

Why?

It has made me determined.
I can still walk.
It doesn't get any worse. ( I have other conditions that do , but let's not dwell)
I don't know any different.

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