Special suit helps kids with cerebral palsy
Nicole was born weighing just one pound, 14 ounces. Doctors diagnosed cerebral palsy.
“As she’s getting older she’s starting to realize more that there is something different. And she wants to be able to do what the other kids do,” said Nicole’s mother, Joy.
Thanks to a special suit and intensive therapy, Nicole really can.
"It helps me stand strong better, and do all kinds of stuff,” said Nicole.
With the suit on, Nicole stands for 300 seconds, and she uses her walker to scoot across the room by herself. It’s a first that she’s proud of.
The TheraSuit retrains the nervous system. Bungees keep the body aligned properly and apply pressure to weak muscles.
“It’s applying compression, anywhere from thirty to fifty five pounds of pressure throughout out the body,” said Ariana Watson.
But it’s not just the suit. Instead of 60 minutes of therapy, one to three times a week, this intense program includes four hours of therapy, five days a week, three weeks at a time.
“In that time they make exceptional progress,” said Watson.
Five year old Andres was also born with cerebral palsy. After just three weeks, Andres says goodbye to his walker and only needs crutches.
“The doctor told us he would not be able to walk, would only be able to crawl, but look at him now,” said dad Jose Toro.
The two kids are beating the odds every step of the way.
In a pilot study of the suit, 92 percent of kids who used them in an intensive program saw improvement.
The cerebral palsy therapy is pricey, Right now it costs parents about $100 an hour. That’s more than $6,000 for three weeks.
Get more information about TheraSuit.
King Broadcasting Company
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