Redefining CP

Cerebral Palsy( CP)!!!!!

Today, the 28^th of November, 2011 marks the fifth year of those words creeping into my vocabulary life. It had actually been with me for five months, but in my ignorance I did not recognize it. The place was at  Children’s medical center,  Owerri sick bay, in the south east of Nigeria. It was about 10.30am. The doctor, a tall dark man, pulled my Ziim’s hand and said; madam, this child has CP what happened? I have told the story here.

What is CP? Before I re-invent the wheels, I will not bore you with the text books and learned people’s definition and explanation of what CP is. Please follow the links and read to your heart’s content. here or there or better still just Google  cerebral palsy.

But I can tell you what CP is to a mother like me; CP is a thief who comes to rob a mother off the joys of motherhood.  It turns her life around, leaving her running scampering from pillar to post. It robs off the child the things that are ordinary. Just like a thief whose intent is to permanently deprive the owner or the person with rightful possession of a property or its use, its intent is to permanently cripple the child, turning  h/her  into a vegetable and turning the mother into a wimp!! CEREBRAL PALSY!!!!! It does not even have a middle name. It used to be called Little disease, but I think when it was realized to be anything but little, it got the name Cerebral Palsy.  It does not have any vernacular name, thus you cannot easily call its name to a mama e’le’ta the pepper seller or iya oni bole’, the roasted plantain seller whose children it has attacked.

Hm…CP, CEREBRAL PALSY!!! But I know you. Just like the thief that you are, you are of various types; the petty thief (mild CP) the embezzler (moderate CP) and the armed robber (the severe CP). I know you and I am no longer afraid of you!!! You are surprised? Sure I am not because not just that I did not let you have my child, I am doing something to encourage other parents to do the same!!!! You see, my child may have CP, fact that is, but CP does not have her!! I wrestled back the joy of motherhood from you CP and now I get double joy because I do not just watch my child do things that she was thought never to be able to do, but I watch other children do so too, right under my very eyes, like they say.  The child you wanted to turn to a vegetable is nothing near that, see for yourself. See some of what we have done to you. And the mother you intended to turn to a wimp is way far from that, look at me now, I fight daily with you. I have come out stronger, more informed, more knowledgeable, more confident. Look at the children in the center and see for yourself.

You can see Amin laughing at you already.
And we still have not introduced what we are working on;

this ; Conductive education.

That will put a nail in your coffin!!! Thief!! That will turn the children you took away ordinary things from into extraordinary children. Watch out!

You are reading this, I know you will want to join myself and other parents in this fight wont you? Sure you would, but you probably are wondering how. It is easy. We are working towards doing a six week Conductive Education camp in July next year, as a prelude to setting up the center as an early intervention center grounded on the principles on CE. We are working at having at least two conductors come in from Hungary, the home of this wonderful learning system for children with cerebral palsy and adults with muscle issues of neurological origin. It is a tall dream for ordinary parents like us, but with your assistance we can become extraordinary and bring it to pass. There are so many ways you can be a part of this. Mention us on your face book, twitter and blog, donate air fares for the conductors or part of it. You may have a guest house in Lagos, preferably self catering, you may donate that, you  could volunteer your time. We have a large budget, but with your assistance, no matter how little, we shall achieve it for we desire it. Visit us at the CPcenter and do something so that together we can help the children come out laughing at this thief Cerebral Palsy.