What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy…
- is the #1 motor disability in children.
- can affect the ability to move, sit, stand, walk, talk, swallow, or use one’s hands.
- is caused by a brain injury, not a disease.
- is diagnosed before age 2, and today the cure has yet to be discovered.
- may include secondary impairments, such as autism, learning disabilities, vision problems, epilepsy, etc.
The good news is that most children with CP will walk:
- 60% are independent walkers
- 10% walk with an assistive device
- 30% use a wheelchair
Statistics
Cerebral Palsy affects:
- 1 in 323 children in the US
- 10,000 babies per year
- 800,000 American children and adults
- 17,000,000 people worldwide
The high cost of living with Cerebral Palsy:
- The average lifetime cost for just one person with CP is estimated to be $1.5 million above and beyond the cost of living for an average U.S. citizen.
- It is estimated that the lifetime care and medical costs for all people with CP, who were born in the year 2000 alone, will total more than $13.5 billion.
With research and development of better treatments, these costs could be reduced.
