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Mateo, Gillette epilepsy patient

Kids Health Matters
Tag: rehabilitation

Home / Kids Health Matters / rehabilitation
Brain Injury and Concussion
Boy sledding in the snow during winter.

No Helmet, No Slide: Wear a Helmet While Sledding, Because Your Brain Matters

Going sledding is ridiculously fun, but it can also be dangerous. Wearing a helmet makes it safer.
January 5, 2021
Disability Advocacy

My New Year’s Resolution For Now and Always: Being Courageous for My Daughter

Most parents would tell you that having a child changes your life in ways you never could have imagined. That certainly was the case for my husband, Mike and me. Our daughter, Peyton, is now 9 years old, and it’s been a journey of hope, faith and love.
December 28, 2020
Disability Advocacy

Inimitable Avery: Relentless After Treatment for Scoliosis

"It was definitely a shock. I almost didn’t believe it at first. I’m a competitive athlete; I’d never really been hurt or sick in my entire life. I didn’t even know what scoliosis was." - Avery Wright
June 30, 2020
Disability Advocacy

Erika Comes Back After Spinal Fusion

"I realized, for the first time, that I was shooting straight. Due to my scoliosis, I'd been overcompensating." Erika, a basketball player, gained confidence after surgery to correct her spinal curvature.
June 4, 2020
Cerebral Palsy

Twice the Hope for Help with Cerebral Palsy

They came to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare with twice the hope. Twice the dreams. Twice the determination.The Bracho Diaz family left their native Venezuela eager for another round of expert care for their 10-year-old twin daughters Maria de los Angels and Maria Antonieta. Yes, identical twin sisters who share the name Maria and a diagnosis of spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy.
October 5, 2019
Cerebral Palsy

Dear Theodora: One Family’s Cerebral Palsy Journey

There are few moments in life as exciting and anxiety inducing as the day you have your first child, but for Andrew Bailey and his wife, Amanda, things were a bit more complicated. Amanda was home in Connecticut getting ready for her baby shower. Andrew, a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, was in Seattle for an away game.
October 1, 2019
Disability Advocacy

Virtual Reality Bolsters Clinical Care at Gillette

The hospital can be a scary place for anyone, especially a child, and no matter how nice the staff is or how thoughtfully the clinical spaces are designed, it’s usually difficult for a patient to forget they’re in one. At Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, that’s no longer the case.
July 17, 2019
Brain Injury and Concussion
Old hockey photo of Landon

Letters to My Landon: A Message to My Son

Every now and again, I write a new letter to my son, Landon. It’s my testament to him. To who he was, to who he is, and to who he could someday be.
June 3, 2018
Giving
Gillette patient tries out adaptive bike during bike expo

Smiles for Miles at Pedal in Place and the Adapted Bike Expo

Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare hosted two successful events aimed at helping kids of all abilities know the joy of riding a bike.
March 20, 2018
Cerebral Palsy
Gillette patient Louie Romero posing in the skyway

It’s Not a Career, It’s a Calling: Bringing My Son Home

Louie Romero is a smiley kid that simply can’t help the fact that he is irrepressibly charming. It's Louie's personality that makes an impression when you meet him. The fact that he is in a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy ranks much lower on the list.
March 12, 2018
Disability Advocacy

Gillette Helps Athletes with Paralympic Dreams

Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare provides support and resources to help kids achieve their athletic goals. Our therapeutic recreation specialists take pride in helping kids improve their strength and flexibility while having the fun experience of playing sports.
March 9, 2018
Disability Advocacy

Minnesota at its Best, Sled Hockey for Children who Have Disabilities

You know, there might be nothing more Minnesotan than lacing up a pair of skates and heading out to the rink. “You bet, you’d better believe it,” says Tony Lang of Loretto, Minnesota. “I grew up playing hockey my whole life. It’s a family tradition. In fact, when we had kids I built a rink in our backyard.”
February 22, 2018
Cerebral Palsy
Gillette patient Kaidyn with therapy dog at Gillette.

Help Fund Animal-Assisted Therapy at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare

“I don’t think it would surprise anyone to learn that a lot of children love dogs,” says Emily DeBreto. “While we’ve had volunteers bring in therapeutic dogs at the hospital for comfort, we wanted to get our dogs more involved with the actual functional aspects of the therapy we’re providing.”
November 16, 2017
Orthopedics
Gillette patient Roderick outside of Gillette St. paul campus

A Culture of Care Brings Roderick to Full Speed

Roderick Bright is 11 years old, but don’t let that fool you. He’s not a kid. Ask him who he is and he’ll tell you: Roderick is an athlete. There was only one problem.
November 3, 2017
Cerebral Palsy

A Smile to Put the Sun Out of Business: How the Carothers Family Fights Their Happy Battles

"This kid is without a doubt my hero. I am without a doubt his biggest fan," says Ross Carothers of his son, Mikey, who has schizencephaly. Learn how the generosity of donors has supported Mikey's family and how they've given back in return.
October 12, 2017
Disability Advocacy

Driven by Compassion, Gillette Nurse Leads by Example for 40 Years

Becky Hamilton can’t help but get a bit emotional as she prepares to hang up her scrubs after 40 years as a Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare nurse. She’ll freely tell you that when you devote so much of your life to an organization, your colleagues become like family. This goes for your patients as well.
October 10, 2017
Cerebral Palsy

The Journey of Mateo Arcos: Hope, Love and Cerebral Palsy

As he ambles down a long hospital hallway, smiling with every step and practically daring you to do the same, it can be pretty easy to forget that this wasn't supposed to happen. Mateo Arcos was never supposed to walk.
October 5, 2017
Brain Injury and Concussion

A Message of Love, Parris Recovers From Traumatic Brain Injury

Your brain isn't like your arm. You can’t see it or touch it. It’s not really tangible, which means that we rarely spend time thinking about the thing that makes us think, unless we have to. This is what those who experience a TBI go through.
September 27, 2017
Cerebral Palsy

Why Medicaid Matters to my Family: Let’s Talk About it

Rebecca Pierce, the mother of a Gillette patient, speaks out about the importance of protecting Medicaid for children who have disabilities.
September 26, 2017
Brain Injury and Concussion

Who Andrew Runs For: The Hospital That Saved His Life

Twenty years after a traumatic brain injury, the Twin Cities Marathon will welcome Andrew Leitner to the starting line. With his running bib emblazoned, "Gillette 1" he pays homage to hospital that he volunteers for...and the one that saved his life.
September 20, 2017
Safety and Wellness
Storm Safety Tips, Gillette children's

Preparedness Key to Helping Loved Ones Who Have Disabilities Weather Storms Safely

Recent natural disasters in the southern U.S. in the form of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have sparked heightened awareness of why it’s important to have a plan when natural disasters, including blizzards and tornadoes strike your area. Disaster preparedness is even more crucial for families of children who have complex conditions.
September 12, 2017
Brain Injury and Concussion

Therapy Two-A-Days: Connor Tackles Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury

Tall, red-haired and boisterous, it’s not a surprise to learn that Connor plays on the football team back in North Dakota, or that he’s pretty popular.
September 5, 2017
Cerebral Palsy

International Research Collaboration Between Hospitals Helps Treat Children Who Have Chronic Pain

Pain affects all aspects of life, but for many of us, it’s an abstract concept. But, for a moment, imagine what it would feel like to experience chronic pain for an entire month. Start with that, but now expand it out to a year—or maybe even, every day of your life.
August 9, 2017
Disability Advocacy
Kelsey, leaning against wall after yoga practice

Kelsey Teaches Yoga, Defies Disability

Kelsey's attitude is so affecting, she says that most people don’t notice at first. Kelsey was born with a radial club hand, and her left arm is significantly shorter than her right. This means that when she’s instructing yoga—perhaps the most public of exercises—she’s essentially doing most of it, one-handed.
July 28, 2017
Cerebral Palsy

She’s Katie. It’s Not What She Has, It’s Who She Is

Katie Allee takes Advanced Placement classes. She’s 15, and she’s a straight-A student. Her mind? It’s all there, and she’ll tell you as much. But when it comes to her body physically, for much of her life, she’s had difficulty.
July 10, 2017
Cerebral Palsy

Unstoppable Adli: Life After a Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis

The emotional roller coaster that follows a cerebral palsy diagnosis never goes away. But Ami Hagen, our guest author and mother of Adli, a Gillette patient, says the ups are so worth the downs. Ami tells us about her joys, her worries, and raising a daughter with unwavering spirit.
May 30, 2017

Student Broadcaster Recovers from Transverse Myelitis with Eggnog Fizz and Friends

This is not what Earl Weir planned for his junior year in high school. The 17-year-old from Howard Lake, Minnesota was a busy teenager—involved in his school’s broadcast club, spending time hunting and fishing with his dad and listening to music with his mom. Earl is an example of how life can change in an instant.
May 2, 2017

Virtual Demonstration: Gillette Prone Cart

After children who have cerebral palsy undergo rhizotomy surgery, they spend several weeks using something called a prone cart when they're not in therapy. Learn more about the prone cart and watch a virtual demonstration to see how it works.
March 30, 2017
Brain Injury and Concussion

Caring for Karley: Growing Up After Anoxic Brain Injury

"If there is anything that I want people to understand, it’s that parents who have children who have disabilities want what any parent wants for their child."
March 2, 2017
My Gillette Story

Limb Lengthening and Perseverance Give Katelyn Momentum

“They almost didn’t notice it at first,” Karey Hall says. When her daughter Katelyn was born, her left leg was missing two toes and had an abnormal, rainbow-like bend to it. “No one at the clinic had ever seen anything quite like it before.”
January 11, 2017
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