Testimonial

Cerebral Palsy - Spastic Quadriplegia

'My name is Emily Sharpe and this is my beautiful daughter Kasey and this is her story so far: -

I had the perfect pregnancy with no complications at all and I was looking forward to the birth of my first child.  On the 20th April, 2001 I noticed that the babies movements had slowed down so I went into the hospital for a check up.  They attached monitors to my stomach and noticed that my baby was in foetal stress and after an hour of monitoring admitted me and told me that I was having my baby today.  Six hours later Kasey was born by emergency caesarean. 

Barry and I were in total shock especially when 6 days later we were told that she was going to be severely brain damaged which would probably result in cerebral palsy.  Well of course we couldn't believe what we were being told, I mean this was our first child and the image that I had in my mind of the perfect labour and child wasn't turning out as I had hoped.  Since the doctors told us there was nothing we could do and we would just have to wait and see how Kasey developed we decided that we would be as positive as possible and try not to dwell on what the future could hold.  I have always told Kasey that we would somehow prove these doctors wrong and that she wouldn't be as severe as they thought.

Over the next 8 months Kasey showed signs of delayed development and comparing her to the other children in my Mothers Group I started to see the signs that she wasn't doing all of the things that the other ones could.  She wasn't rolling or sitting and her hands stayed clenched a lot of the time.  One thing I was thankful for was that she was showing no signs of being mentally disabled - it was all physical.  

It was at one of our doctors appointments at 9 months of age that it was confirmed that Kasey had 'spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy', (even though this affects the 4 limbs it is mostly on the right side that Kasey is affected).  Asking the doctors what else we could do for her apart from the normal physio, OT and speech therapy I was shocked that they stared at me with blank faces and said "not much".  They couldn't even confirm with me how mild or severe it was and whether she would walk not except to say that if 'she sits by 2 years of age she will probably walk'. 

Well I was having none of this, here was my daughter who was being diagnosed as being disabled and I was being told I could do nothing else for her and to just wait and see. Well excuse the "french" but what a load of crap (I now had a goal - sit by 2 and walk).  As soon as I got home from this appointment I connected to the internet (thank God for technology) determined to find out as much as I could about cerebral palsy and if other treatments were available and one of the first things I read was this web site about HBOT. 

I read the testimonials and I couldn't  believe what I was reading.  It all made sense to me about how brain damage is from lack of oxygen and what would be the first thing to treat it with -  OXYGEN - seems pretty straight forward so why didn't the doctors mention this to me.  I phoned my doctors and I was soon to find out that they had there own opinions which weren't very positive but they based these opinions not on hands on experience but on what they read in the British Medical Journal. 

I was disheartened but I couldn't stop thinking about HBOT so I decided to do as much research about it as I could and make up my own mind.  I think I read every internet site and book on the subject as well as talking to other parents who have children with CP and have tried this treatment.  I also made countless phone calls to the Spinal Rehab Group in Melbourne (I'm from another state - Adelaide) and they sent me a recent video from America (watch this and be amazed).

After hearing and seeing so many positive things as a parent had to try it, I just couldn't sit back and do nothing, I had to try everything I could and if it didn't help Kasey as least I could say I tried and there would be no "what ifs" years down the track.

Kasey started to have seizures at 10 months (they were classified as close to petit mal and were occurring 50-60 times a day) so I made arrangements to come to Melbourne as soon as possible to have an initial 40 treatments.  I was so excited but scared at the same time - how will Kasey cope with the treatment?  Will there be any changes?

We started the treatment and the results so far are:-

• 4 hourly sessions - using her right arm a lot more to reach out, more arm strength on her tummy, said da da for the first time,

• 8 sessions - seizures decreasing, feeds herself a bottle comfortably.

• 12 sessions - seizures completely gone (yipee!!)

• 22 sessions - simultaneous grasping and banging together of objects, straighter back, decreased leaning from side to side when propped in corner of chair, lots more different consonant sounds, now kisses her mum (absolutely wonderful).

• 30/40 sessions - puts both arms in the air, hands unclenched a lot of the time now, can pick up smaller objects.  Sits by herself for 5-10 seconds (a record). 

I am seeing improvements all the time and I am so happy that I didn't listen to the specialists and followed my heart.  She is not sitting fully yet but I am so positive that she will get there as she has so much determination and stubbornness (just like her mother) but that can only do her good in this case.  We will be back for more treatments as soon as we are able.

I want to say a big thank you to Mal, Karen and everybody that works at the Spinal Rehab Group.  They are the most genuine people I have met.  They are so caring and giving and are doing this for all the right reasons.  God Bless You. 

Emily, Barry and Kasey '