Lutz golf event to benefit toddler with cerebral palsy

BY JEFF BERLINICKE Special Correspondent

Published: September 4, 2013

TAMPA Mattie Spinner loves to dance, sing, watch Elmo on Sesame Street and loves to swing on the swings like any 2-year-old.

She loves to smile, is learning how to talk, and doesnt mind being teased when her brother messes with her hair.

But she is far from a typical kid.

Mattie, named after former New York Yankee star and current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, has had a rough run of it in her short two years. She was born nine weeks early with a brain injury. She had a 12 percent chance of survival.

Matties parents, James and Jessica, did a lot of praying. They knew in advance that their child was a high-risk baby and were given options that are not easy to discuss. They decided they were going to have their child and give her a happy life, no matter what the result might be.

When Mattie was born, it was obvious that something wasnt right. After she turned 8 months old, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. James and Jessica are doing what they can to raise awareness of the disease by hosting a Hope for Mattie charity golf tournament at Heritage Harbor Golf Club in Lutz on Oct. 5.

Mattie recently received her new wheelchair shell likely never walk in a normal way and proceeds from the tournament will go toward therapy and medical expenses.

Her main issue right now is her lungs, which may or may not develop properly. Shes been through a lot in two years, but retains a smile that can melt any heart. Shes happy, and thats all that matters to James and Jessica.

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Lutz golf event to benefit toddler with cerebral palsy