Persistence

Rileys little body really does not always cooperate with her. It is so difficult for her to do simple things that most of us take for granted. One of the reasons for this is that Riley has Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral Palsy is a neurological disorder which affects communication between the brain and the muscles. The disorder results in uncoordinated movement and abnormal muscle tone. The consequence is that children with this disorder have difficulty achieving their developmental milestones and performing ADL’s (activities of daily living).
This particular developmental disorder is hard to treat. Cerebral palsy can take different forms, and it affects each child to varying degrees. Riley has spastic tone (muscle stiffness) and it dominates in all the extremities. Children with spastic quadriplegia are often wheelchair bound and Riley is part of this category.



But like Rileys other diagnosis's, she does not let Cerebral Palsy define her. She is SO persistent in pushing her little body past it's limits and accomplishing new things.


Over the past couple of days I have watched with excitement as Riley has taken big steps for her. This week she has done great things like say an "M" repeatedly, take a puzzle piece in and out with her left hand, and stand on her own for 2 seconds!

This is all because Riley has an extraordinary amount of persistence. She continues to push. She continues to try. And eventually it pays off. As her mom, I couldn't be more proud of her for this. It is truly one of her special gifts! And I can sure learn alot from it when faced with my own seemingly tough trials. Thank you Riley!

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