Kids' doctor shares their experience

Teenager Rachel Arney and other kids listen closely when their doctor tells them how to cope with cerebral palsy. That's because Dr. Janice Brunstrom has battled CP all her life, just like them.

Dr. Brunstrom is a St. Louis Children's Hospital pediatric neurologist and mother of a 10-year-old. She's living proof that CP kids can have ambitious life goals.

She doesn't just tell kids. She often participating right along with them in therapy sessions.

Rachel Arney

Recently, Dr. Brunstrom was down on the gym mats with Rachel and other kids taking martial arts lessons. Getting lots of physical activity is some of Dr. Brunstrom's most important advice.

Rachel said, "Dr. Brunstrom doesn't get pushed around. She shows us how she's willing to stick up for herself."

That's a very good lesson for kids who will live with CP all their lives.

Fourteen-year-old Rachel is an 8th grader at Parkway South Middle School. In addition to martial arts, she likes to swim and play basketball.

And she has a plan for her future. "I want to be a veterinarian. I've grown up around animals. I have two dogs now," she said.

Black belt instructor Charley Walton works with Christian Fletcher

Cerebral palsy is a chronic but nonprogressive illness that usually affects movement and posture and can affect brain development. Balance is often a physical problem for CP kids.

That's where Dr. Brunstrom's emphasis on sports comes in.

Rachel said her martial arts training has helped her greatly with balance. But, she says she likes swimming the best. She swims at a nearby Y pool.

Ten-year-old Christian Fletcher also credits his martial arts classes with helping his balance. He also likes to learn new moves. His favorite is the "tiger claw." That's a blocking and attack move aimed at an opponent's face.

Christian Fletcher

The fourth grader at Marvin Elementary School is also planning on a veterinary career. "That way, I can help animals get better," he said.

When 15-year-old Tiffany Eickhoff was asked if Dr. Brunstrom's own CP experience helps get her message across, she said, "Oh yes, a lot."

The Oakville High School sophomore said, "(Dr. Brunstrom) doesn't like the word can't. She says you have to try."

Although Tiffany still uses a cane, she said sports have improved her balance "a lot." It's helped with her upper body strength. She's added basketball and swimming.

She said she's been seeing Dr. Brunstrom for a little over a year. "I began after I started feeling sorry for myself." She said the doctor's example has helped with her mental state.

Tiffany Eickhoff

"Dr. Jan has inspired me to become a doctor. She's like my mentor," Tiffany said.

Teenager Tori Haar comes all the way from Breeze, Ill., to be in Dr. Brunstrom's program. "She's taught me I can do anything if I set my mind to it," she said.

One of the lessons for Tori was: "She knows how it hurts if people make fun of you. I want to be a doctor so I can work with little kids with CP."

Dr. Brunstrom's personal background provides a good object lesson for her patients. She was born three months premature and weighed just three pounds. Her cerebral palsy crippled her legs. And her parents were told she might be mentally retarded.

Instead, she's been through college, medical school and advanced training in pediatrics and pediatric neurology. She heads the world's most comprehensive center for CP kids.

"I have an inherent stubborn streak and I have a guardian angel. God gave me a drive and my parents fought for me," she said.

Tori Haar

Her therapy emphasis on sports is exactly opposite to her doctors' advice when she was young. "I was summarily dismissed from sports. My therapist was against them," she said.

"Now, I get my hands on every sport I can," she said. Those sports have stretched to include ballroom dancing. She added, "I'm my own experimenter."

And she tells her sports instructors not to be easy with the kids. Those are her instructions for instructors from Gateway Defensive Systems, who teach the martial arts.

Her most important personal lesson? She said, "I'm okay the way I am. I don't have to worry about disability."

That's the lesson she wants all her CP patients to learn also.