Exercise leads to improvements in the health and overall well-being of wheelchair-dependent children and young adults, including those with cerebral palsy, and needs to be better promoted though more rigorous study, a review article argues. These conclusions, based on a review of some 30 published reports, were in the study, “…

Twenty-one years ago today I was born, weighing one pound, 13 ounces, with a chronic illness — cerebral palsy. Today, my mom found a batch of old photos of me and I could see the ebb and flow of growing through my chronic illness. There were scenes…

As my occupational therapist lays me on the table to stretch my shoulder, she tells me she’ll likely have to put down her dog this weekend and that she’s unsure how to explain it to her young daughter. I relate by telling her my experience when we put…

Thinking back: I am just shy of 18-years-old. My mom and I have exhausted the ER staff of all of our local hospitals if not every day, every other day, for the past two years. My hip and my back now ache with the same pull-and-stretch feeling…

Thinking back: I am 16 years old. I sit in a cold ER with my mom on a September day. My mom and I are regulars at all  the local ERs because, for the past year, I’ve been struggling with a deep, nagging hip pain. It has made…

The increase in cesarean sections brought on by the use of electronic fetal monitoring during delivery has not reduced rates of cerebral palsy, instead placing women at high risk of complications and death. The trend in using electronic monitoring, opting for cesarean sections at the slightest sign of abnormality, has…

Some time ago I wrote a column talking about what it was like for a woman with cerebral palsy to seek birth control. I mentioned a few symptoms, like ankle pain and swelling of my breasts, and I expressed frustration at the lack of information I could find about…

Have you ever considered becoming a personal care attendant? These essential workers enable people with chronic illnesses to be as independent as possible by assisting with daily living tasks such as transportation, shopping and house chores. Not everyone is cut out for this important work, but if you…

Verily Life Sciences recently launched its newest assistive technology device called Liftware Level, engineered to help people with movement disorders that may make it difficult to keep utensils level while eating, such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, Huntington’s disease, or post-stroke deficits. Liftware Level uses electronic…

On Friday, I wrote about how I finally accepted, positively, my physical therapy. I think I started the intensive physical therapy program two weeks ago today. On Friday, I talked about giving into the therapy program; today I want to gloat a little … About a month ago, I was…