The path of a child living with cerebral palsy (CP) is filled with emotions, obstacles, and decisions. Gillette Children’s researched what influences parental decision-making to offer enhanced support to patient families.

Gillette Children's powerhouse fundraiser and longtime patient, Joe Carr, has received a prestigious award from his hometown of Richfield, MN. The Carr family credits the cerebral palsy (CP) care he receives at Gillette for helping Joe write his own life story. Gillette Children's enhances the lives of people living with CP and advocates for their well-being and care. Joe's outstanding community service and vibrant personality exemplifies Gillette’s focus on inclusion and realizing your potential.

Featured in the book by Lily Collison (in collaboration with experts at Gillette) is her son, Tommy Collison, who lives with spastic diplegia. Tommy’s story, in his own words, is shared in the epilogue of Spastic Diplegia. He details how his love for writing provided him an outlet to navigate his disability while shaping his perspective on what it means to not be defined by a diagnosis.  

Gillette Children’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) Institute is developing novel research and harnesses the multi-disciplinary power of Gillette providers to ensure children who have cerebral palsy live a life determined by dreams, not diagnosis.

Kate and Ben Harkness, twin siblings and Gillette Children's patients who have cerebral palsy, are representing Gillette as 2023 Children's Miracle Network Champions.

The Holley family of Brooklyn Park, MN appreciates the convenience and comprehensive services offered at the Gillette Maple Grove Clinic. The family admires how Gillette therapists go out of their way to make sessions fun and productive for Michael. His therapy at Gillette helps him gain strength and independence while living with cerebral palsy.

March is cerebral palsy month – and March 25 is National CP Awareness Day. Take a moment to get information about the most common motor disorder. Remember that when a child is diagnosed, it doesn’t mean he or she can’t live a happy, fulfilling – and most important – meaningful life.

Joslyn Jane Rogers is a cheerful, enthusiastic 11-year-old. She has many interests including reading, gaming, swimming and baseball. Joslyn also has cerebral palsy (CP) and she's been a patient at Gillette Children’s since she was 1. 

Aaron Navarro is a teenager from Grandview, Texas. He's an active member of his high school debate team and runs 5K races (even though he’ll tell you that running isn’t his favorite thing). His mother, Christine, will tell you that the fact that he is running at all is nothing short of remarkable.

October 6, 2022 is World CP Day. It’s a time to celebrate and support the more than 17 million people living with cerebral palsy (CP). Gillette Children’s is building on its strong commitment to caring for children who have cerebral palsy through new developments in research, innovation, and the clinical expertise of its physicians and providers. Exciting plans about the future of CP care at Gillette will be announced later in October 2022.

When you come to Gillette Children’s you’ll collaborate with one of the nation’s top providers of pediatric inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation therapies. Gillette Children’s has occupational therapists throughout the Twin Cities metro area in our St. Paul, Phalen, Burnsville and Maple Grove clinic locations. Gillette also provides access, if appropriate, to children throughout the region through virtual appointments.

Gillette Children's pediatric neurologist, Charbel El Kosseifi, MD, says a photo of a young girl inspired him and changed his life. "I even dreamed of that photo," El Kosseifi shares. This new member of the neurology team is helping children care for their muscles, nerves and bones.

"Every step Sophia takes is a testament to the countless dedicated individuals who made it possible." Sophia and her family traveled from Arkansas to Minnesota for several major surgeries to treat her cerebral palsy.

What are common symptoms that might indicate cerebral palsy in young children? Check out this video on what to watch for—and learn why it’s important parents follow-up with their child’s primary provider if they suspect developmental delays.

For 125 years the doctors, nurses and employees at Gillette have worked every day to provide the very best care for all children. This dedication has led to treatments and outcomes that have influenced cerebral palsy care worldwide. 

Learn how to have conversations with family and friends about your child's recent cerebral palsy diagnosis and how they can help.

There are a lot of good questions out there about cerebral palsy but there are also misconceptions. Check out the common CP myths that need busting.

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.

Caty Lingbeck, APRN, CPNP, recently joined Gillette Children's as a urology provider. Lingbeck is excited to work with Gillette families and has expertise in treating neurogenic bladder, neurogenic bowel, spina bifida and cerebral palsy.

"Anyone who has spent as much time in doctor’s offices or waiting rooms as we have knows how frustrating it can be to start from square one when discussing your child’s medical condition. When you’re at Gillette, you never need to do that. I can’t even begin to tell you how much that means.” -Trisha Irvin

Gillette Children's is internationally known for its excellence in caring for people diagnosed with cerebral palsy and is encouraging people to mark World CP Day on October 6, 2021. For nearly 125 years the doctors, nurses, therapists and staff at Gillette have worked every day to provide the very best care for all children.

When I work with my patients at Gillette, I try not to impose my story and my “why” on them and their families. But inevitably, it comes up. My younger brother, Peter has cerebral palsy. He’s why I do what I do and why I’m here. I’m immensely proud of him and grateful to have had the privilege of being his sister.

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Gillette Children’s is the world-renowned leader in the treatment of cerebral palsy. We enhance the lives of individuals who have cerebral palsy and promote their well-being by improving diagnosis, management, and care through research, innovation, and collaboration. The Harkness family shares their story of why selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery at Gillette was the best choice for their daughter.

March is National Cerebral Palsy (CP) Awareness Month and Gillette Children's is one of the world’s leading centers for cerebral palsy diagnosis, treatment and research. We enhance the lives of individuals who have cerebral palsy and are advocates for CP patients and research.

A new book edited by Gillette Children's orthopedic surgeon, Tom Novacheck, MD, and clinical scientist, Michael Schwartz, PhD, is intended to be a resource for health care providers and scientists to improve the lives of people who have cerebral palsy and mobility challenges. “We hope this new book is a blueprint for the next five years of research and clinical care to help people who have cerebral palsy,” Novacheck says.

Angela Sinner, DO has worked as a Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician at Gillette Children's for nearly a decade. She is the co-director of Gillette's inpatient rehabilitation unit and Sinner specializes in treating cerebral palsy, muscle spasticity and tone management, as well as traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Learn more about her, here:

In all the ways that matter, Peter is your typical 8-year-old. He’s a protective older brother to his younger sister Katie, loves cars, sports and Star Wars. He’s easy to smile, quick to laugh and brings joy to all who meet him. When you’re in Peter’s presence, the fact that he has cerebral palsy and can’t speak, quickly becomes an afterthought.

Gillette Children's has launched a new resource to help parents of children who have complex, rare or traumatic conditions. The first book released by the new Gillette Children’s Healthcare Press is Spastic Diplegia—Bilateral Cerebral Palsy and it’s written by Lily Collison, an Ireland-based author and the mother of a Gillette patient.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery at Gillette changed Sam’s life,” marvels his mother Coleen Wedig. Sam Wedig, 16 and his mother first traveled to Gillette Children’s from Des Moines, Iowa in 2015 seeking help for cerebral palsy and dystonia. They’re passionate about sharing their story in the hope they can help other families dealing with similar medical challenges.

They came to Gillette Children's 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.

Seven-year-old Maria Renata Sanchez Diaz traveled 1,600 miles from her home in Mexico City to Gillette Children’s as part of her plan to keep a promise to her dad.

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.

Laney and Lilah are feisty, happy twin sisters. They share a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, but that is just one aspect of their lives. More importantly, they dance, they laugh and occasionally throw things.

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.

During his career, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Jim Gage, MD, brought gait analysis into clinical practice and transformed the approach to caring for children who have cerebral palsy. Gage received prestigious national recognition for his work in 2016.

"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."

Avery, a sixth grader who has cerebral palsy, recently had the opportunity to showcase some of her favorite back-to-school fashions to thousands when she modeled for the Mall of America's 2016 Back to School Look Book. Learn how the experience helped build Avery's confidence and how care at Gillette has helped her thrive.

Every parent wants their child to be healthy, but that isn’t always the case. The reality is that as many as one in about 325 parents will have a child who has a complex medical condition such as cerebral palsy, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC also says about one in six children will have some type of developmental disability.

A Venezuelan mother's prayers are answered as her daughter receives treatment for cerebral palsy at Gillette. “No word is good enough to express our gratitude for helping our daughter have a better quality of life and to overcome the challenges she’s had since birth,” she writes.