Help Emily Continue Her Progress In Intensive PT

Amy Kavanaugh is organizing this fundraiser to benefit Euro-Peds Foundation.

Tax deductible

We are back in Pontiac, Michigan, for another course of intensive physical therapy at the Euro-Therapies program! This program offers intensive physical therapy with specialized equipment. The PT is 4 hours/day, for 4 weeks. It’s particularly effective for people with cerebral palsy, like Emily. The 4 hours of PT allows for a lot of repetition of skills and exercises, which helps develop new neural pathways to allow for development of new skills.

They make use of specialized equipment, including a therapy suit that puts a lot of pressure on the body and forces it into correct alignment. Like many people with cerebral palsy, Emily develops maladaptive patterns of movement to compensate for areas of weakness and limitation. The therapy suit prevents her from going into those maladaptive patterns, and through repetitive practice while her body is in correct alignment, she learns more functional ways of moving her body.

Intensive PT at Euro-Therapies has brought Emily from ambulating by crawling, to cruising furniture, to walking with a walker, to wearing a gait ballet, and finally to walking independently and climbing stairs. This has made a monumental difference in her quality of life! Treatment at Euro-Therapies is a lot of hard work, but they make it as fun as possible, with music, videos, books, bubbles, games, and lots of encouragement and cheering. Emily LOVES the staff at Euro-Therapies and is absolutely joyful each time we return for another course of intensive PT!

While cerebral palsy is not a progressive condition, it causes wear and tear on the body that brings premature aging. Emily will turn 21 soon, and we are already seeing these effects on her body. As she has gotten older, we have to work to help Emily hold onto the physical skills she has, in addition to working on forward progress. Also, we learned just last year that due to a binocular vision dysfunction Emily has been unable to see in the lower half of her visual field. This is being gradually corrected with prism glasses, but now we have to help Emily override the previous adaptations she made (when she was walking and stepping without being able to see down there) so she can make functional use of her vision to see and avoid obstacles and changes in terrain. Emily is making headway with this, but as with every other new skill, it is a process and takes a lot of repetitive practice. This is why intensive PT is so crucial for her continued forward progress.

The treatment at Euro-Therapies is not covered by Emily’s insurance. I take a leave from work to take her to MIchigan and support her through her therapies. Though the outcome for Emily is always well worth it, taken together the travel, lodging, and therapy costs are considerable. We are blessed to have friends and family who offer support, encouragement, and financial assistance when they can. Any donations are greatly appreciated. Donations made to this account go to the Euro-Peds Foundation and will be directly applied to the costs of Emily’s current course of treatment at Euro-Therapies. Thanks so much!!