God gives us some of the most wonderful challenges and how we receive them is our choice. Some challenges may seem bad at first. As we look into each of these challenges more, will can most always find the beauty of them, no matter how bad they seem at first.
A good percentage of people are born to this world as perfect little persons with great health and all fingers, toes, and nothing to worry about health wise. Others are born and found to have all kinds of issues cerebral palsy is one of those conditions that can be a challenge to both parents and mostly to the baby born with it. The challenge of life begins and does not seem to have at the beginning a great outcome. Yet even with all the sad unknowing life wins over to living. That is most small people that start out with greater challenges make the best they can from the lemons.
This life is not what anyone asked for. The looks and wonder of all the people who have never had to live a life like a CP patient. There are many degrees of abilities with CP.
My girl Abbigail, Abbi as I most often call her has CP and has since birth been on a challenge of living. Abbi’s CP is defined as low functioning physically.Mentally we will truly never know but she understands much more than most give her ability. I will never hear about her challenge from her own words as she does not speak verbally or by any other means that can be translated. When I first met her the year she turn sixteen years old. Abbi’s Father explained her grunting sound is no, and her smile was her yes. Over time I found that confusing so as visiting with Abbi, we came to an agreement of sorts. She would raise her right arm and hand above her head for Yes answers and the left for No. We practiced and this method works still. We also found yes and no question was good, although choice like “what color to wear today” we could assign colors to her limbs (arms and legs) and she could move her choice. Which opened up a whole new way to communicate with Abbi.
The movement to answering questions became her Range of Motions that nursing at the time spent about 10 to 15 minutes a day. CP for those who do not know affects how the brain and body work together. Repetition of rotating Abbi’s joint's as to prevent her from having contraction of her joint's. Abbi had only her knees that were when I met her contacted. Which means that the joint does not open up freely due to muscle contraction. I relate it to a leg cramp that gets painful. To Abbi it does not seem painful. Yet to keep her from having more muscle contractions moving the joints is important. Getting her to do it herself was my goal. Abbi was in agreement to having goals. Many questions later we both agreed to work together to accomplish goals together. One to show her Dad she could help more. Two was for Abbi and I to teach Dad how to have a conversation with her.
See her Dad would pick her up off the floor to bring her across the room so he could give her a meal. We practiced by me guiding her by directions on how to roll which direction to go and encourage her to do the movement needed. She loved it the day I stopped her Dad and told him to ask Abbi to come over for her meal. He was very happy to have surprises and Abbi finds surprising people fun. It took her about five minutes to get about 15 feet across the room to her dad's feet. Next after practice with me Abbi and her father had their first conversation which brought dad to tears. They of course were happy tears. All the practice is well worth the reward. Time lapsed was about a year or so maybe a bit less.
Will try to get to chapter two soon.
Love to all
Go steemit freinds
Every bit we earn on every post we share is being saved in our wallet until we can afford a new wheelchair accessible van for Abbi to travel safely in. Thank you all for any and all support.