You’re one of my favorite short story writers. Had you not shared your personal story over the years I would have never have had any idea you had CP. I’m looking forward to many more stories from you, both fiction and personal.
The effects of Cerebral Palsy (CP) develop during pregnancy or childbirth or shortly thereafter, and caused by an abnormal development of damage to the part of the brain that controls movement. Mine was the result of a stoke at sixteen months old from a heart problem called transposition of the great vessel.
When I was around three, I had the Mustard Procedure. An operation first developed by Dr. William Mustard at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It allows a total correction, and employs a baffle or tunnel to redirect blood flow. Replaced in the late 1980’s by the Jatene Procedure, in which the native arteries were switched back to normal blood flow. Even after the surgery, the doctors didn’t see a long live for me.
After I had the stroke and the operation that went with it, I had to relearn everything I was able to do as…
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