Brady was diagnosed with a frontal parietal stroke on the left side of his brain a few months before his 2nd birthday. He was always a happy baby however at about 5 months we noticed he constantly clutched his right hand/thumb in a tight fist. His pediatrician kept telling us he would “grow out of it” however at a 15 month checkup we were finally referred to an orthopedic specialist.
At first we were told it could be a skeletal or muscular issue. After numerous x rays and finally an MRI we received this unexpected diagnosis. At the time my husband and I were both shocked and devastated. Next came numerous blood tests, genetic tests, and more specialist visits (cardiologist and hematologist) to determine what caused the stroke and when. All tests came back inconclusive and to this day we have no idea when the stroke occurred (in utero, during delivery, or early infancy) or why.
All these years later the why, how, or when doesn’t matter as much as what we have done to help our son thrive. We immediately were started with occupational, physical, and speech therapy every week. At age 3 Brady no longer needed speech therapy but the occupational and physical continued. His therapies also continued into school with our state’s IU. Brady worked so hard, never complained, and never gave up!
2 days ago I received the amazing news that he no longer needs these therapies on a weekly basis but will only meet with his therapists once a month for maintenance. While he still has many obstacles to face, I cannot be prouder of how far he has come. Brady never feels sorry for himself or thinks he is different than any other kid. He IS a pediatric stroke warrior and my hero.
At first we were told it could be a skeletal or muscular issue. After numerous x rays and finally an MRI we received this unexpected diagnosis. At the time my husband and I were both shocked and devastated. Next came numerous blood tests, genetic tests, and more specialist visits (cardiologist and hematologist) to determine what caused the stroke and when. All tests came back inconclusive and to this day we have no idea when the stroke occurred (in utero, during delivery, or early infancy) or why.
All these years later the why, how, or when doesn’t matter as much as what we have done to help our son thrive. We immediately were started with occupational, physical, and speech therapy every week. At age 3 Brady no longer needed speech therapy but the occupational and physical continued. His therapies also continued into school with our state’s IU. Brady worked so hard, never complained, and never gave up!
2 days ago I received the amazing news that he no longer needs these therapies on a weekly basis but will only meet with his therapists once a month for maintenance. While he still has many obstacles to face, I cannot be prouder of how far he has come. Brady never feels sorry for himself or thinks he is different than any other kid. He IS a pediatric stroke warrior and my hero.
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