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.