::One Dollar for One Dream::

Cerebral palsy isn't a particular disease or illness. The term means a physical condition that affects movement as a result of an injury to the brain. Every person with cerebral palsy is affected in a different way.

There are several different types of cerebral palsy. While some people are severely affected, others have only minor disruption, depending on which parts of the brain have been damaged.

Spastic cerebral palsy - some of the muscles in the body are tight, stiff and weak, making control of movement difficult
Athetoid (dyskinetic) cerebral palsy (Clara's case) - control of muscles is disrupted by spontaneous and unwanted movements. Control of posture is also disrupted
Ataxic cerebral palsy - problems include difficulty with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech
Mixed cerebral palsy - a combination of two or more of the above

The symptoms of CP may take some months to become apparent and depend on the type.

There may be abnormal tone (stiffness or floppiness) of the limbs and odd postures. This is exactly what happens to Clara. People use to confuse cerebral palsy with a mental disease

People use to confuse cerebral palsy with a mental disease

In spastic cerebral palsy (70 per cent of cases), the limbs become stiff and may be drawn in. In athetoid cerebral palsy (10 per cent of cases), the child develops involuntary irregular writhing movements. Sometimes it seems Clara has a "snake-like" movement with her hands.

There may be incoordination of the muscles of the mouth, causing feeding problems such as slow feeding, gagging and vomiting, delayed motor milestones, such as crawling and walking, weakness or paralysis of the limbs, an abnormal gait and slowness in developing speech and social skills.

As many as one in three children and adolescents with cerebral palsy also has epilepsy - Clara didn't have epilepsy until now. However, we are aware that she can have epilepsy at any time.

A common misconception is that people with cerebral palsy inevitably have learning difficulties. This may have arisen because people with cerebral palsy can have problems controlling their facial movements and speech, and it can be difficult to understand them at first.

However, just as in the rest of the population, there's a range of intelligence. Some people with cerebral palsy have moderate or even severe learning difficulties, while others are extremely intelligent.

It's easiest to think of cerebral palsy as a condition in which part of the brain hasn't developed properly. This might be because of a variery of events occurring before, during or after birth.

Most people think of cerebral palsy as a condition caused by problems during labour and birth. However, it's now generally accepted that complications at this time are an important factor in a only minority of cases, around one in ten.

The most common cause of cerebral palsy is something that damages the brain while the baby is growing in the womb. These antenatal factors can be found in 80 per cent of those affected and include genetic problems, malformations of the brain and maternal infection (rubella, toxoplasmosis).

Better maternity care has meant fewer babies are born with cerebral palsy due to birth trauma, but this has been offset by the improved survival of premature and low birthweight babies, who may be up to 50 times more at risk of cerebral palsy.

Infections when a baby is young (especially encephalitis or meningitis) can also lead to cerebral palsy.

In a number of cases, it's difficult to pin down the exact cause with any certainty.

Today, Clara does every therapy we can afford. Brazilian Government doesn't offer anything, so, we looked for a philanthropic institution where Clara receive some treatments.

However, we are aware that all these treatments are trying just to "remediate" Clara's problems. Making a research at the internet we found many successfull stories of Cerebral Palsy patients who benefited from Stem Cells Treatment in China. Here in Brazil we don't have this treatment avaliable.

We can't afford for this treatment, since it's quite expensive. That's why we created this website: To raise funds to take Clara to China, so she can have a better life.

As parents we want to see our daughter to sit down, to crawl, to speak, to walk, to grab things. We want her to have a normal life, doing everything that she can't do today.

We are sure that Stem Cells Treatment can make all these things come true for Clara.

So, if you feel yourself touched by Clara's story, donate or spread this website! Have a nice day and may God give you twice what you donate to Clara!

What's Cerebral Palsy

People usually confuse Cerebral Palsy with a Mental Disease.


	Home Who's Clara About Clara Clara's Stuff Leave a supporting message! What's Cerebral Palsy Why we need your help Other cases that worked Interview with Clara's Parents Donate! Contact us!
	What's Cerebral Palsy People usually confuse Cerebral Palsy with a Mental Disease. Source: BBC Cerebral palsy isn't a particular disease or illness. The term means a physical condition that affects movement as a result of an injury to the brain. Every person with cerebral palsy is affected in a different way. What is it? There are several different types of cerebral palsy. While some people are severely affected, others have only minor disruption, depending on which parts of the brain have been damaged. The main types of cerebral palsy are: Spastic cerebral palsy - some of the muscles in the body are tight, stiff and weak, making control of movement difficult Athetoid (dyskinetic) cerebral palsy (Clara's case) - control of muscles is disrupted by spontaneous and unwanted movements. Control of posture is also disrupted Ataxic cerebral palsy - problems include difficulty with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech Mixed cerebral palsy - a combination of two or more of the above What are the symptoms? The symptoms of CP may take some months to become apparent and depend on the type. There may be abnormal tone (stiffness or floppiness) of the limbs and odd postures. This is exactly what happens to Clara. In spastic cerebral palsy (70 per cent of cases), the limbs become stiff and may be drawn in. In athetoid cerebral palsy (10 per cent of cases), the child develops involuntary irregular writhing movements. Sometimes it seems Clara has a "snake-like" movement with her hands. There may be incoordination of the muscles of the mouth, causing feeding problems such as slow feeding, gagging and vomiting, delayed motor milestones, such as crawling and walking, weakness or paralysis of the limbs, an abnormal gait and slowness in developing speech and social skills. As many as one in three children and adolescents with cerebral palsy also has epilepsy - Clara didn't have epilepsy until now. However, we are aware that she can have epilepsy at any time. Other common problems include (see how Clara's symptoms match the ones described here): Difficulty with walking, writing, eating, talking, dressing Problems with balance and coordination Difficulty controlling and maintaining posture (they may need help to sit upright) Visual difficulties Hearing problems A common misconception is that people with cerebral palsy inevitably have learning difficulties. This may have arisen because people with cerebral palsy can have problems controlling their facial movements and speech, and it can be difficult to understand them at first. However, just as in the rest of the population, there's a range of intelligence. Some people with cerebral palsy have moderate or even severe learning difficulties, while others are extremely intelligent. What causes it? It's easiest to think of cerebral palsy as a condition in which part of the brain hasn't developed properly. This might be because of a variery of events occurring before, during or after birth. Most people think of cerebral palsy as a condition caused by problems during labour and birth. However, it's now generally accepted that complications at this time are an important factor in a only minority of cases, around one in ten. The most common cause of cerebral palsy is something that damages the brain while the baby is growing in the womb. These antenatal factors can be found in 80 per cent of those affected and include genetic problems, malformations of the brain and maternal infection (rubella, toxoplasmosis). Better maternity care has meant fewer babies are born with cerebral palsy due to birth trauma, but this has been offset by the improved survival of premature and low birthweight babies, who may be up to 50 times more at risk of cerebral palsy. Infections when a baby is young (especially encephalitis or meningitis) can also lead to cerebral palsy. In a number of cases, it's difficult to pin down the exact cause with any certainty. What's the treatment? Today, Clara does every therapy we can afford. Brazilian Government doesn't offer anything, so, we looked for a philanthropic institution where Clara receive some treatments. However, we are aware that all these treatments are trying just to "remediate" Clara's problems. Making a research at the internet we found many successfull stories of Cerebral Palsy patients who benefited from Stem Cells Treatment in China. Here in Brazil we don't have this treatment avaliable. We can't afford for this treatment, since it's quite expensive. That's why we created this website: To raise funds to take Clara to China, so she can have a better life. As parents we want to see our daughter to sit down, to crawl, to speak, to walk, to grab things. We want her to have a normal life, doing everything that she can't do today. We are sure that Stem Cells Treatment can make all these things come true for Clara. That's why we need YOUR help. Donate, at least One Dollar, to help Clara. So, if you feel yourself touched by Clara's story, donate or spread this website! Have a nice day and may God give you twice what you donate to Clara!

	©2008 Copyright by One Dollar for One Dream.com