Cerebral Palsy

If you've ever doubted how quickly your life can be turned upside down, just ask the Bahen family. On Monday, Nov. 14, 2000, the Bahens' 5-year-old daughter Nicole joined her friends for her usual afternoon dance class. By Sunday Nov. 20, Nicole lay in intensive care recovering from surgery, unable to speak, roll over or swallow, nearly paralyzed on her right side. Such is the swift devastation of a pediatric brain tumor.

For parents of children with special medical needs, returning to the workforce is often a necessity, not an option. They need the income and health benefits a job provides. But finding quality childcare can be nearly impossible.

Loss of bone density is a concern commonly associated with the elderly, for whom a simple stumble can easily result in a painful, debilitating fracture. But a variety of other conditions can make low bone density a lifetime challenge, one best addressed as early as possible.

Liza Patchel has grown used to being told of the many things she will never do. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant, doctors said she would never speak or walk. When she enrolled in public school, administrators said she would never play for their sports teams. Even as she studied her way to good grades, "experts" told Liza that she would never go to college.

When today's Kennedy Krieger Institute first opened its doors in 1967, its leaders were expected to continue and improve the state-of-the-art treatment services already available to children with cerebral palsy at the Children's Rehabilitation Institute, the original facility that became Kennedy Krieger, and to extend those services to children with a variety of other neurodevelopment

For years, people who suffered spinal cord injuries were told that the first six months of their recovery would paint an accurate picture of how they would live the rest of their lives. If a patient recovered any movement, it would probably be in those first few months and, nearly all experts believed, improvement after two years was impossible.

He smiles when his mother cuddles with him, laughs when his sister tickles him, and loves when his father sings to him. As long as he's around other people, that toothy grin and hearty giggle will make an appearance.

To some, Jimmy's happiness may seem surprising. He has faced numerous medical challenges in his short life. But to his mother, Sue Ellen, his enduring smile is proof that no parent should ever take no for an answer.

When you first look at Brianna Robinson, you might not realize that she has cerebral palsy. She does a lot of the same things most other 2 1/2-year-old girls do: she walks and runs, plays with dolls and eagerly reaches for favorite treats. But look closer and you notice that while Brianna enjoys a lot of the same games and activities as other kids her age, she tends to do them with just one hand. The type of cerebral palsy Brianna has causes hemiplegia, in which one side of the body is weaker and less coordinated than the other.

(Baltimore, MD) Kennedy Krieger Institute will be joining the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and others around the world in observing World Rare Disease Day on February 28, 2011. On this day, millions of patients and their families will share their stories to focus a spotlight on rare diseases as an important global public health concern.

(Baltimore, MD) - This summer at the 3rd Annual Festival of Tees golf tournament, miniature golfers of all ages will tee off in a competition for a good cause. ParTee Golf, in Perry Hall, Maryland, will once again host the tournament on Saturday, August 21. All funds raised from this golfing event will go to the Silberstein-Harryman Endowment at Kennedy Krieger Institute to benefit children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.