Cerebral Palsy

In 1986, Kirk Vosbikian, a third grader at Parkway Elementary School, died of a rare form of cancer. Nine years later, his ordeal is inspiring a spirit of giving among the school's students and teachers, as evidenced by a display of affection for another ailing Parkway student. The teachers and students call their fund-raising campaign the Circle of Giving. So far, the students have donated $475.03 in pennies to Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia. Plus, they sold about $500 worth of hoagies on Election Day for charities that benefit cerebral palsy.

A major report on the causes of cerebral palsy is renewing debate over how often, and how much, a physician is to blame when a baby is born with the disorder. The 95-page document, issued by two leading physicians groups, concludes that cerebral palsy is rarely caused by lack of oxygen, or asphyxia, during labor and delivery. It also sets out nine criteria for judging whether a child's disability is due to asphyxia, and whether it occurred during birth. Trial lawyers have denounced the report as self-serving and dangerous.

The climb up the 72 steps that lead to the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art began at 10 a.m. Saturday for the woman known as the Left-Thumb Blogger. Glenda Watson Hyatt, a 44-year-old writer with cerebral palsy whose autobiography is called I'll Do It Myself , didn't quite do it alone. The Rocky devotees wouldn't let her. Hyatt was surrounded by a Rocky impersonator, a newspaper executive who wrote a book about Rocky, and a band playing the Rocky theme.

To be or not to be. Shakespeare chose simple words for the most complicated of questions, words so powerful that they have resonated for four centuries. When Heather Krause, a teaching artist with Walnut Street Theatre, saw how her students responded to those words, she had an outrageous idea: stage Hamlet with six high school-age actors with mental retardation and cerebral palsy, children so disabled that all are in wheelchairs and some cannot speak without the aid of machines.

Steven Roach always loved karate: He read about it, watched martial-arts movies and dreamed about studying it. But because he has cerebral palsy, Roach, 17, and almost everyone else thought he could never actually practice karate. Now, after four months of lessons, the Doylestown Township student has earned his second karate belt and says the martial art has done more for him than almost an entire lifetime of physical therapy for cerebral palsy, which damages the central nervous system.

Butch Dow has what some people would call an attitude. Here's how his works: "I have a mild case of cerebral palsy," he was telling me last night. We were sitting at the kitchen table in his rowhouse in South Philadelphia. His aluminum crutches were propped against a cabinet. "How long could you stand on your legs without the crutches?" I asked. "About five seconds," he said. Then he told me how long it took from the time he was born until he first walked as a kid. "Thirteen years," he said.

New evidence suggests that cerebral palsy, a disabling disorder in newborns that causes a lifetime of problems, can be triggered by infections and blood clots in the fetus. Researchers found telltale signs of such infections and blood clots by tracking down certain chemicals in the blood of babies who were later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The insight will not immediately lead to treatment, diagnosis or prevention, but provides important clues into the secrets of a maddeningly mysterious disease.

On her first day of kindergarten, Kelly Matula's anxieties were higher than those of most of her classmates. Along with the pressures of meeting new friends and learning to stand with others in a straight line, she had just been fitted with knee-high leg braces. Matula, who has cerebral palsy, already had an awkward gait. The braces made it even more so. Teachers and students watched fearfully as she teetered at the top of the slide before safely making her way down. On the second day of school, she tripped over a curb on her way in from recess and fell.

After Jason's foster mother dresses him in the morning, he swings into action for the day. He sits down on the living room floor, takes off both shoes and one sock and twirls the sock around in the air. Then he pads out to the kitchen to eat anything that's set before him, as his appetite is zesty. Jason, 1 1/2, is in good health and has an average IQ. He has mild cerebral palsy, which is a non-progressive condition, not a disease. It's usually caused by damage to the motor-controlled centers of the brain.

His face beaming with pride and anticipation, the 13-year-old boy who was about to become a man intently watched the rabbi and the congregation. Taking his cues from the rabbi, he offered the traditional songs, prayers and blessings from the Torah in English, Hebrew and his native Russian. Eugene can't walk, talk or use his hands because of cerebral palsy. Yesterday, though, with the aid of a special computer synthesizer to help him "speak," he was able to fulfill a dream. He was bar mitzvahed at Congregation Beth Am Israel in Penn Valley.

Philadelphia's Department of Human Services received the United Nations Public Service Award on Wednesday for improving its oversight of families and children in its care, an agency goal after troubling cases of child fatalities and neglect came to light years ago. DHS Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose said the agency had made significant strides since a stinging 2008 grand jury report criticized its workers for failing to prevent the death of...

Destiny is a happy and contented 3-year-old. However, she can be a bit fussy when it's time to go to bed because she wants to stay up. Destiny is most contented when she is sitting in her chair gazing out the window and music is playing in the background. Her favorite time of day is story time. She loves hearing people read and sing to her. Destiny has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She has developed a bond with her therapist and benefits from physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

RIO DE JANEIRO - One minute, Renata Glasner is watching the waves crash on Leblon beach from her wheelchair. The next, she's plowing through the turbulent waters, riding the choppy waves on a specially adapted surfboard. Glasner, 35, a graphic designer who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis four years ago, is one of dozens of disabled people - with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, people missing a limb, the blind, the deaf and even the paralyzed - on this special strip of Rio de Janeiro beach who are conquering the waves.

Ramon is a likable 17-year-old with a wonderful personality and a brilliant smile that draws people to him. He is known for his sense of humor and pleasant, friendly manner. Ramon takes pleasure in pleasing others. He is skilled at dealing with change and building relationships with people he is just meeting, and thrives on one-to-one attention. Ramon expresses himself well and understands some Spanish. Ramon enjoys watching television, listening to music, attending birthday parties, and spending time with friends.

Jackson Baker said it was no big deal. Some coaches asked the senior at Penns Grove High School to do something for another wrestler. He said he would do it. Simple as that. But don't tell that to the folks at Mainland Regional High School. Don't tell that to the administrators and coaches and wrestlers and family and friends of Mustangs sophomore John Phillips. They know Baker did something special on the night of Feb. 13 by losing to Phillips, an enthusiastic and popular 16-year-old who has cerebral palsy, in a junior-varsity "exhibition" bout.

Jackson Baker said it was no big deal. Some coaches asked the senior at Penns Grove High School to do something for another wrestler. He said he would do it. Simple as that. But don't tell that to the folks at Mainland Regional High School. Don't tell that to the administrators and coaches and wrestlers and family and friends of Mustangs sophomore John Phillips. They know Baker did something special on the night of Feb. 13 by losing to Phillips, an enthusiastic and popular 16-year-old who has cerebral palsy, in a junior-varsity "exhibition" bout.

NEWARK, Del. - The day before she returned, Elena Delle Donne sat on a far bench at the Bob Carpenter Complex with Delaware coach Tina Martin. Before the Blue Hens' women's basketball star was to play for the first time in a month, against ninth-ranked Maryland nonetheless, her coach wanted to go over the sign she was to use if she needed an in-game sub. The start to this season, her final as a collegiate athlete, has been far from ideal for Delle Donne, a preseason national player of the year candidate.

The Montgomery County commissioners heard four hours of emotional testimony Thursday from representatives of nonprofits that would lose their subsidies under the proposed 2013 budget. The elimination of earmarks for the 17 agencies totals less than $1 million out of a $411 million budget, but it occupied nearly all of the morning and evening public-comment hearings. Elmwood Park Zoo representatives brought an adult eagle, Noah, into the boardroom to demonstrate the zoo's educational programs.

The Montgomery County commissioners heard four hours of emotional testimony Thursday from representatives of nonprofits that would lose their subsidies under the proposed 2013 budget. The elimination of earmarks for the 17 agencies totals less than $1 million out of a $411 million budget, but it occupied nearly all of the morning and evening public-comment hearings. Elmwood Park Zoo representatives brought an adult eagle, Noah, into the boardroom to demonstrate the zoo's educational programs.

A judge sentenced a South Philadelphia man to 20 to 40 years in prison Friday for raping his girlfriend's daughter, a 16-year-old who has severe cerebral palsy. Charles Finch, 44, was found guilty in May, after a two-week trial during which his victim testified. The Inquirer does not name victims of sexual assault. Prosecutors praised the victim's courage in coming forward to report the 2009 attack. The girl, who has had cerebral palsy since birth, uses a wheelchair and has difficulty communicating, but told her mother of the rape and made numerous court appearances in the case, testifying for hours with help from an interpreter.