The month of March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. This month allows people to learn more about this condition. For this blog I want to answer five common questions that people may have about Cerebral Palsy (CP).
1. What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is a neurological condition that affects a person’s motor functions and balance. In simple terms, the person’s muscles and brain do not always communicate properly with each other. There are several forms of Cerebral Palsy that range greatly in severity.
2. What causes Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to a child’s developing brain before or after birth. In my case, a placental abruption lead to me having Cerebral Palsy.
3. Is Cerebral Palsy contagious?
Absolutely not! CP is a condition, not a disease.
4. Does CP affect everyone the same way?
Nope. There are numerous different forms and severities of Cerebral Palsy that affect each individual differently. The main classifications are based on the severity of CP and what parts of the body are affected. The severity of Cerebral Palsy usually has three categories : mild, moderate, and severe. The severity can range anywhere from walking with a slight limp to being totally wheelchair bound, to everywhere in between. Which parts of the body are affected are categorized as Monoplegia (One limb is affected), Diplegia (Two limbs are affected, usually the legs), Hemiplegia (One arm and leg on the same side of the body), Triplegia (Three limbs are affected), and Quadriplegia (All four limbs are affected). I personally have Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. This wide range of classifications sometimes makes Cerebral Palsy harder to describe versus other conditions that have uniform symptoms and affects.
5. Are people who have Cerebral Palsy different from everyone else?
NO! People who have Cerebral Palsy are just like every other person! While sometimes we may look different from people who don’t have CP, we do not want to be treated any differently. People with Cerebral Palsy can have jobs, go to school, have friends and relationships just like every other person in the world! Throughout the years I have met many people who may have not realized this before meeting me or anyone else who has CP.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and learned something new about Cerebral Palsy. For the month of March, wear green to show support for Cerebral Palsy awareness!
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