A Michigan teenager attempting to raise awareness and money in the fight against cerebral palsy will carry his seven-year-old brother 40 miles on his back in a fundraiser walk.
According to Today.com, Hunter Gandee, 14, has been carrying Braden, who has the disorder, on his back for as long as he can remember, to beaches, up and down mountains, and often just through their local grocery store.
Hunter said he sees Braden as an inspiration. “Every day of his life so far has been harder than any single day of mine,” Hunter told TODAY.com. “He fights through it. He’s a trooper.”
Braden reportedly supports his older brother by attending all of his wrestling matches. “He’s very special to me,” Braden said of Hunter, according to Today.com. “He always helps me out. He’s always there for me.”
Due to his diagnosis, Braden struggles to walk and sometimes, to speak, the first grader said. He uses a walker, and it does not always work well on the mulch in his school playground or at the beach.
The walk has been titled, “The Cerebral Palsy Swagger”. On June 7, the duo will walk from Hunter’s wrestling room at Bedford Junior High School in Temperance, Michigan, where Hunter is a student. The brothers’ parents will drive ahead of them, as well as a number of volunteers.
They will reportedly stop overnight in a nearby city and continue the trip the next morning before arriving at the Bahna Wrestling Center at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, the following day.
It should be noted that in March, Hunter also raised $350 for the Cerebral Palsy Research Consortium of Michigan by selling wristbands at school.
“We’re trying to get people to want to know more about cerebral palsy,” Hunter told Today.com. “They don’t understand the work he has to go through, for all the simple things in life that you and I just kind of do.”
Can I File a Lawsuit If My Child Has Cerebral Palsy?
Unfortunately, many children suffering from cerebral palsy have obtained the disorder through botched deliveries and delayed Caesarean sections during birth.
Other birth injuries resulting from medical negligence include deformities, brain damage, erb’s palsy and shoulder dystocia.
As this story points out, cerebral palsy is incapacitating for not only the child, but also for family members. It results in intellectual limitations, hearing deficits, vision impairment, behavioral problems, seizures, speaking difficulties and learning disabilities.
All of these issues require comprehensive therapy and rehabilitation. It also results in specific education needs, which results in increased costs for not only parents, but also for taxpayers.
If your son or daughter is struggling because of cerebral palsy, our firm is well versed in birth injury law and can provide you with the legal advice and representation you need to successfully pursue your case. Contact us today.
[Did You Know: Cerebral palsy is more common among African American children than any other race.]
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth Injury Attorneys
Source: http://www.today.com/health/teen-carry-brother-40-miles-raise-awareness-cerebral-palsy-2D79698530
