While growing up in Harris County, Jarret Buice was teased because of what cerebral palsy prevented him from doing. Now this 33-year-old Fortson resident motivates able-bodied folks because of what he does despite the congenital brain abnormality that impairs his movement and muscle control. Thanks to his decade-long dedication to an exercise routine and the support he receives from the staff and members at the YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus, Buice grew strong enough to become "Boosie the Clown," entertaining children at birthday parties and other events, such as the Uptown Columbus outdoor concerts on Friday nights. While making balloon animals for kids at Summerville Baptist Church in Phenix City during a school-supply giveaway and carnival the night of July 19, Buice saw the smiles he created and gushed, "It just makes my heart light up." The teasing he received in elementary school prompted Buice to leave at home his leg braces, called ankle-foot orthoses. When he was 12 or 13 years old, he had surgery on his legs to strengthen his ligaments, "but I didn't go through my physical therapy like I was supposed to, and that threw my balance off real bad," he said. Approximately 10 years ago, Buice … Continue reading →

PROPHETSTOWN, Ill. (KWQC) - Along with the runners and walkers taking part in the bix tomorrow, there are some doing the course, on wheels. One caregiver will be running with her friend in a wheel chair, at the 43rd annual Bix road race. Korey Wilson, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, has been limited to what he can do since he was born. But his caretaker is giving him a chance to push past those limits, and finally, take part in his favorite race. When Ashley Simmon decided to run the Bix-7, she didn't have to look far to find a running partner. Simmon is a care taker at winning wheels rehabilitation center -- she decided to give Korey Wilson a chance to live out a dream. With their constant laughter and jokes. It's a strong bond that can be hard to find. Simmon says it was an easy decision to push Korey the whole way, even though she knows it won't be easy. But Simmon says it's also a chance to show everyone anything is possible. "Just showing that yeah he doesn't have to do it by himself, but with Wheels and with me, we're going to do it, … Continue reading →

More support groups have been set up in public hospitals to help parents having premature babies as more women leave it late to get married and have children. The latest group, founded at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, has helped more than 100 families since 2016, including a 27-year-old single mother who wishes to be known only as Ying. Yings son Jun was born in May 2014 at 25 weeks and weighed just 800 grams. He was a dark-coloured little thing cupped in a nurses hands, she said. Parents of premature infants urge Hong Kong government to cut queues for early childhood help It was just the start of her problems. Ying soon divorced and Jun was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and severe hearing impairment. The landlord then forced them out of their home. One day in 2015, Ying, who could barely eat and sleep under the pressure, collapsed in a temporary public shelter. But when she woke up from a three-day coma in hospital, she was not alone. Several mothers and nurses from the neonatal intensive care unit took turns to bring Ying and Jun food and daily supplies. They also helped her apply for a public … Continue reading →

The real meaning of the Shrine Bowl, and the events leading up to the game, can be difficult to comprehend for many of the high school graduates who will be playing football Saturday night in El Dorado. That changed this week when Gentry Ramsey, the 8-year-old cousin of West lineman Marshall Rutschman of Sedgwick, came to meet the West squad before a practice in Salina. As Gentrys father, Chris, stood before the team and talked about how his daughter was born with hypotonic cerebral palsy, and how Shriners Hospitals gave the family hope in a time of need, West coach Marc Marinelli could see the significance of this week dawn on his players. That was really, really powerful stuff, Marinelli said. These are 18-year-old men about to set off for college and someday will have families of their own. You can sit there and talk to them about what it means all day long, but when you see a little girl up there and a whole family explaining to you what it means then that changes everything. I think it gave the guys a sense of purpose. Gentry Ramsey is one of thousands of children aided by the 22 non-profit … Continue reading →

Training with a robotic device may help some kids with cerebral palsy gain strength and improve both posture and walking abilities, researchers say. A small study suggests that a robotic system known as the Tethered Pelvic Assist Device could help those with crouch gait, a condition affecting a subset of individuals with cerebral palsy thats marked by excessive bending of the hips, knees or ankles. After participating in 15 training sessions with the system, six children studied showed improvement in posture and muscle coordination as well as walking features like step length, toe clearance, range of motion and heel-to-toe pattern, according to findings published this week in the journal Science Robotics. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below For the study, the kids participated in 16-minute training sessions over the course of six weeks. They were evaluated at the beginning and end of the study period. The children wore the robotic device a pelvic belt attached to several wires while walking on a treadmill. Tension on the wires was adjusted in real time based on data captured by cameras. The device applied downward force similar to what a typical child experiences carrying a backpack in order to retrain certain leg muscles. Currently, … Continue reading →