MISC

Cerebral Palsy

February 12, 2009 /

I just read an article about Colin Farrel’s son, James, who suffers from Angelman syndrome, a form of cerebral palsy and was touched by his remarks: “There is no heartbreak about it, it’s not a sad story. I’m incredibly blessed to have him in my life. He has enriched my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Love conquers all, I have to agree with that.

I am not so sure what is cerebral palsy and found so many information about it. These are facts that I want to share with you:

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term that refers to a group of chronic disorders that affect a person’s motor skills, muscle tone and muscle movement. Cerebral refers to the cerebrum, which is the affected area of the brain and palsy refers to disorder of movement. There are three types of CP: Spastic, Athetoid and Ataxic. In most cases, the causes of cerebral palsy include:
– premature birth
– infection or illness in the mother, e.g: rubella, HIV etx
– Intrauterine exposure to drugs or alcohol
– Rh incompatibility between the mother and child
– Jaundice
– A fall, knock, or car accident after birth
– Asphyxia after birth, usually because of choking, near-drowning
or exposure to poisonous materials
– Meningitis or encephalitis after birth

There is no cure for CP, however with ongoing treatment the disabilities can be reduced.

Locally, there’s an organisation that can help parents with special children called Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor & Federal Territory (SCASFT). SCASFT provides numerous services, facilities and activities that are used to care and treat these special children. They are in need of volunteers to assist in spastic childrens development and if you are in the Selangor and KL area do check them out.

Website: www.scasft-my.com
Address: 14, Lorong Utara A, P.O. Box 48, 47600 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel. No. : 603-7955 0296, 7958 2393
Fax. No. : 603-7956 7511
E-mail: scasft@tm.net.my

I’ll try my best to volunteer too.

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