The Luke Billings Foundation

WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY (CP)?
Cerebral palsy is a permanent injury in the brain.  CP refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear early or late in childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination.  The condition does not worsen over time, but the effects of tight muscles, weakness, and lack of proper movement can cause permanent deformity in bones and other tissues.  The bodies of these growing children have to be so closely managed to minimize the potential and many times eventual crippling consequences of the disease.

WHO GETS CEREBRAL PALSY, and WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE ?
The majority of children with CP are born with it, although detection/diagnosis can occur at various times depending on the severity.  A smaller group of children have CP as a result of damage to the brain due to infection or head injury from an accident.  There are those children, (like our son Luke), where there are no known reasons for why he has CP.   Most children with CP are diagnosed by the age of 3, and those who are more severe, much earlier in infancy.  Symptoms can be any of the following, such as:  missed milestones in development,  lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia), stiff or tight muscles (spasticity), walking with a limp, or walking on the toes, “scissor” and/or crouched gait.  Others have low tone or limpness to their muscles.  Unfortunately some children with Cerebral Palsy also have speech delays, difficulty with eating, and can have additional complications with vision, hearing, cognition, and seizures, just to name a few.

IS THERE A CURE? 
Cerebral Palsy cannot be cured at this time, although treatment can help maximize an individual’s function and minimize the complications, if the symptoms are managed appropriately.  Many individuals with CP can go on to live functional if not near-normal lives, especially if treatments are initiated early.  For more involved individuals with CP, this can include adaptive equipment, numerous doctor and therapy visits over the course of their lifetime.

RESEARCH
There is a great need for research in this arena, however funding for CP ironically is very low.  Researchers are looking at the roles of mishaps in early brain development, including genetic defects.  Scientists are also looking at traumatic events in newborn babies where bleeding and lack of oxygen cause chemicals to kill brain tissue and how they can minimize this from happening.  On a more controversial but potential front is stem cell research/ and cord blood transfusions which could gain popularity in the future. To get involved please contact:  March of Dimes,  United Cerebral Palsy (UCP),  Pedal with Pete,  Tri for CP.