Additional Needs

Dear Cerebral Palsy...

Posted by Amy Sweeney on 21st May 2019 Additional Needs, Disabilities

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I hate you. I hate you so much. You try and rob people’s ability, their chance at normality and independence.

I was first introduced to you when my son was just a year old, but you had already been there from the beginning, we just didn’t know it yet.

The part of the brain that controls coordination, movement and balance had already suffered irreplaceable damage from birth but we weren’t to find this out until much later on.

Those early days that we were supposed to be enjoying the precious time with our baby were spent worrying and wondering what was “wrong” with our child.

We spent hours, days, weeks researching and you kept popping up wherever I searched. It was like you were just screaming out at me. CEREBRAL PALSY.

After we were given the diagnosis, I’m not really sure how I felt.

I felt loss, I felt like I had just started grieving for the life my son wouldn’t have because of you.

From then on, the words “can’t” “won’t” and “will never” were spoken to me at nearly every appointment. The reason? Cerebral palsy. Of course.

But guess what… Cerebral Palsy does NOT control personality, it does NOT control ambition and it does NOT control determination and in fact, I believe it actually fuels these qualities.

I have learned so much since my son’s diagnosis, I have learned that he is in fact very able with some extra help, he can be more independent and he absolutely will be included in anything he wants to.

Cerebral Palsy has robbed him of his physical ability to be able to do a lot of things he should be able to independently.

But we will never give up on fighting against it, my son works so hard at his physiotherapy every day and he still goes to bed smiling every night, he is happy.

His cerebral palsy doesn’t upset him because I’ve never allowed it to stop him doing anything he wants to.

Cerebral Palsy, I hate you but I will never allow you to rob us of our happiness.