According to a report from the Daily Mail, a child born in England with cerebral palsy will receive a surgery called a selective dorsal rhizotomy in the United States, which is hoped to alleviate some of the symptoms of his condition.
The child profiled is one of a pair of twins who are identical, save for the fact that one of them was born with cerebral palsy and the other without. The twins were delivered early because of a condition that occurred in the womb. One of the twins was receiving more blood flow than the other and, because of that, physicians opted to deliver both children prematurely.
One of the twins unfortunately developed cerebral palsy, and is afflicted with symptoms that make it impossible for him to control his legs properly; a common symptom with cerebral palsy sufferers.
The surgery that the parents want to have performed on their child is one of the most innovative cerebral palsy treatments available. Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery involves selectively removing nerve tissue that is abnormal from the spine, restoring control over the muscles affected to the cerebral palsy sufferer. The surgery has been done many times already, oftentimes to great success.
Treatment Costs
The family profiled in the article is trying to raise money to have the surgery done. Like many of the most cutting-edge treatments, this particular surgery is very costly and requires very skilled physicians using the latest equipment. It is only one of many different treatments that have been developed to help alleviate the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Because, however, cerebral palsy is the result of a brain injury, the condition cannot actually be cured.
Access to SDR
Unfortunately for many parents, getting access to the treatments that may actually be able to help their children is extremely cost-prohibitive. With surgeries and other treatments costing tens of thousands of dollars, many parents simply cannot afford to get these forms of treatment for their children and have to rely on less-advanced treatments and using assistive devices to help their child get by.
There are, however, new treatments available all the time, and many of them have shown a great deal of promise in being able to treat cerebral palsy.