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By Johanna M. Sampan
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Patients
using the TheraSuit have shown a
94-percent improvement
in fine and gross motor skills, while speech
productivity and fluency is noted in 64 percent. |
My eldest brother, JS, is a
teacher for special children. Day after day he shares the classroom
with them and treat them like any other ordinary kid in school. But
of course, he treats them with more patience and understanding. He
always tells me that teaching the kids bring him mixed emotions of
joy, fulfillment and sometimes helplessness because he can’t be
there for all of them at the same time as a teacher. He also shares
that he has so much love and respect for the parents of these
special children who continue to show selflessness and unconditional
love and affection.
Unconditional love—this is the
main reason why Richard and Izabela Koscienly, both physical
therapists, flew thousands and thousands of miles just to find a
cure for their beautiful daughter Kaya. She was born prematurely and
diagnosed with cerebral palsy—a neurological disorder that causes
physical immobilization on human growth and affects the person’s
movement, speech, progress and posture.
“‘There is no cure for your
daughter’s situation’ is what the doctors always tell me,”
Izabela intoned, her helplessness apparent. “But as a mother, I
just couldn’t accept that. I have to find a treatment for my
daughter, at least something to give us hope, something to make life
a little better for our daughter and the many people who share her
condition,” she added.
After intensive research, Izabela
discovered the TheraSuit. This was inspired by Penguin-3, a suit
used by cosmonauts made of synthetic material with purposefully
elastic inserts intended to battle muscle atrophy. She redesigned
the suit to fit to the needs of patients with cerebral palsy. It is
consists of a cap, vest, shorts, kneepads and customized shoes that
are attached with each other with adjustable straps and elastic
bands.
It is a therapeutic aid to help
in gently aligning the patient’s bones and support weak muscles.
It’s also a breathable, soft yet forceful instrument that would
help in retaining the brain to comprehend the signals from the
correct movement of the muscles. It also brings body upward and
uprightly.
With the TheraSuit, a patient
would need to undergo an intensive program, around 3 to 4 hours a
day, 5 days a week for a 3-week period or 60-hour completion of the
therapy. The extensive care from specialists, together with the use
of the TheraSuit and the support of the loved ones, bones become
more established and stable. “Nothing comes easy, the method
doesn’t hurt but it’s difficult,” Izabela assured.
The TheraSuit method is now being
offered by Quality Life Discoveries, a nonprofit organization aimed
to give services to the various needs of special children. The
organization is building its first and biggest cerebral palsy
treatment center in the Philippines this October.
I personally tried the TheraSuit.
The flexibility of the elastics helped me to move, though, even when
I was feeling the weight of the piece. I sensed that my bones were
aligned which allowed me to stand with a better posture.
Up to now, there is no sure-fire
cure for cerebral palsy, nevertheless awareness and right
information can improve a patient’s situation tremendously. As for
Kaya, she is now slowly becoming more and more independent—can
walk and talk. She can now play the violin and enjoys rock climbing
and will be taking her driving lessons soon. Amazing!
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