Whether your child is recovering from a spinal cord injury or they have just had spinal surgery, rehabilitation is key. What many families may not realize is that there are many forms of spinal cord rehabilitation. One that is often forgotten is occupational therapy.

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.

From fashion advice to practical tips for skin irritation, we answer the common questions kids and teens have about wearing scoliosis bracing.

April is Occupational Therapy (OT) month and Gillette is highlighting the amazing work our OT team does every day to help our patients increase their independence with daily activities. Gillette is one of the only pediatric health care centers to have an ArmeoSpring machine. Our occupational therapists use this robotic exoskeleton to assist patients who are building strength as the result of trauma, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular conditions or stroke.

At Target Field, every Sunday is Kid’s Day and on a beautiful summer day in August of 2019, Samuel Anastos scored the first honorary run of a Minnesota Twins game. It was a joyous moment made all the more meaningful because there was a time in Sam’s life when his parents questioned whether he would learn to walk or talk, much less run.

"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.

A 2013 study by the American Journal of Sports Medicine determined that kids who play one sport for 8 or more months a year are almost three times more likely to experience an overuse injury. At Gillette Children’s, our providers, nurses and staff are here to help treat overuse injuries in children of all ages and backgrounds. 

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. 

The Paralympic Games are underway in Beijing, China. More than 650 athletes are competing with five Para athletes from Minnesota. These Games are an opportunity to highlight people successfully living with a disability. "Pure Grit," a book from Gillette Children's Healthcare Press, echoes this theme and changes the preconceived notions about what is possible for people who have a disability.

Music therapy helps manage pain, helps a child adjust to a hospital environment, provides positive emotional experiences, and promotes comfort and relaxation.

The 12th Annual Gillette Children's Adaptive Ski Day was an opportunity for children who have disabilities to discover the thrill of downhill skiing. Marcie Ward, MD, is a Gillette pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician and says these adaptive sports events bring joy and can transform children and families.

Gillette Children's 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.

You and your child can have access to the same trusted team of Gillette Children’s physical, occupational, and speech/language therapists from the safety and comfort of your own home. Thanks to technology and expanded access, Gillette Children’s has improved our virtual rehab therapy program.

We're one of the best children's hospitals in the U.S. because of our commitment to international standards of person-centered care as outlined by CARF.

I have always said that the only thing that I want for Peyton is for her to be able to “create her own story.” I want her to tell us what she is capable of doing and not let anyone believe less of her.

Caleb Binkert wrapped up a preholiday evening shift as a cashier at a Target in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota on November 6, 2020. He put on his bike helmet, his reflective clothing and started biking home around 9:30pm. Caleb, 17, does not remember anything from that day as he rode through a crosswalk to continue his journey home. In an instant his life changed.

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.

Today we're sharing the story of Chloe and Gracie, two longtime Gillette patients connected by their shared condition of spina bifida, but much more important than that, their profound friendship. 

Learn about skeletal dysplasia, a genetic disorder that causes abnormally shaped bones, especially in the head, spine and bones of the arms and legs.

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.

Gillette Children's is committed to providing access and excellence in health care to children throughout Minnesota. National Rural Health Day is November 18th and an opportunity to celebrate the community-minded spirit of rural American and to highlight health care providers who keep people living in these areas healthy. Although we’re headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Gillette has clinics throughout the state in locations such as Alexandria, Baxter, Bemidji, Duluth, Mankato, St. Cloud and Willmar.

"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

It’s funny, you never know at the time when you’re living the day that will change your life forever. But that’s what happened to me the day I met a boy named Bennett.

ZaLayaa Wandrick is 9 years old. She’s an excellent cook, crafter and loves science, soccer and coding, but for much of her life, has had to deal with multiple sensory and complex medical conditions. Since her infancy, Zalayaa has endured a variety of different symptoms that have impacted her daily life, but perhaps the most frustrating thing about all of it has been that the underlying cause of these issues remained a mystery.

Gillette is one of the nation’s top providers of pediatric inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. October is National Physical Therapy Month and a time to learn more about a few members of the Gillette PT team. A few of our physical therapists share their personal stories of what inspired them to enter the field and moments with patients they'll never forget.

If to be inspiring is based upon who you are, what you do and how you make those around you feel, then Abby is precisely that and more. That’s probably why she’s a Paralympian. Abby and her team took home the Bronze Medal at the 2021 Paralympic Games.

The Paralympic Games are underway in Tokyo. Gillette Children's has a history of encouraging all people to participate in sports. Our strong therapeutic recreation program helps children find opportunities to stay physically active. The benefits of consistent physical activity include better weight control, improved heart and muscle strength and the opportunity to make new friends.

Communication is important to a good overall quality of life. The team approach to care at Gillette Children's means an occupational therapist, a speech language pathologist and experts in orthotics, prosthetics and seating (OPS) work with families to help children communicate and socialize. When 6-year-old Maya was diagnosed with INAD, a rare, genetic disorder, her parents and a team of Gillette experts helped Maya find her voice.

When I was 2 years old, I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Now, I'm 23. I've faced many challenges in my life, but I think my dad said it best, "Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life's hard." You can't get too caught up trying to project what the end result might be, all you can do is try to deal with the challenge in front of you, and move forward.

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.

When COVID first came to Minnesota and things started shutting down, we were concerned that our son, Wes, who is 8 Years old and has cerebral palsy, would not get the care that he would need. But that hasn’t been our experience.

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.

Ethan Johnson was diagnosed with a rare condition as an infant. His parents were told he may never walk without assistance. Now seven years old, not only does he walk, he flies out on the ice. Read Ethan's story here.

On January 5, Amer and his son Ismail, 4, were out sledding on the hill just minutes from their home in St. Louis Park. It was a small hill, but there were a few trees at the bottom. On Ismail's final run of the day, what began as a fun outing turned into any parent's nightmare.

The ability to stand up straight is something that most of us take for granted. Peyton's family can tell you how the ability to stand upright, transformationally changed her view of the world. Read more about the surgery that made it possible.

January is National Winter Sports Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Awareness Month. Prevention and precaution are the keys to staying safe and minimizing injuries. If your child does become injured the team at Gillette Children's has a higher level of training to deal with pediatric TBIs.

Going sledding is fun, but it can also be dangerous. Wearing a helmet makes it safer.

Gillette Children's is making changes to help more families have more convenient access to our expert care and to better serve our community. Our newly renovated Maple Grove Clinic opened Dec. 1, 2020 and means Gillette can provide more services and offer coordinated and comprehensive care in one location in the West Metro area.

Owen Nei is 11 years old, an avid hockey and baseball player, and a young man who lights up every room he’s in with his positive, irrepressible attitude. Given how his life started out, the fact that he’s even here, much less doing all of these things, is nothing short of a miracle.

"Grady’s so much more than his condition. The way we see it is that God gave us this incredibly cool kid who’s had to deal with a few things. We've had challenges, but life is good even when stuff is hard. Either way, because of Gillette and the care they provide, Grady's future will be whatever he decides it to be. That’s no small thing.”

Take a moment to learn about Laurie Black, APRN, PNP, who joined Gillette this month to serve patients in greater Minnesota as part of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation team.

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.

Matthew suffered a traumatic brain injury 15 years ago. After the treatment at Gillette that saved his life, he’s had a singular goal: To live every day, better and stronger. As he says, “It’s not about what I lost, it’s about what I’m getting back.”

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.

After enduring a ruptured aneurysm, doctors told Trevor's parents were told he'd never walk again. After a six-week rehabilitation stay at Gillette Children's, Trevor strode out of the hospital doors - walking independently.

As loud music filled the adjoining hallways near the Neurosciences unit at Gillette Children’s, passersby could be forgiven if they were a bit confused. The atmosphere was festive and there was good reason for it. At long last, James Bostic, 17, was able to go home. He had been in the hospital for 15 months.

Rehabilitation therapy helps patients learn how to maximize their abilities and become familiar with new ways of moving. Locomotor training, a form of walking therapy that involves body weight support, can help eligible patients increase function in their lower extremities and improve their mobility.

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.

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, that’s no longer the case.

A researcher from the University of Minnesota has identified a virus associated with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a rare, polio-like disorder that can cause sudden paralysis in children. Most of the Minnesota children diagnosed with AFM last fall received treatment at Gillette.

When Jenna Robinson was born, she only weighed three pounds and doctors told her parents she’d never be a “rocket scientist.” Now 28, she holds a Master’s degree in social work and has dedicated her life to helping individuals lead more independent lives.

Wes Jackson is a thoughtful, kind and inquisitive kid. He also has cerebral palsy, but he won't let that (or anything else for that matter) get in his way. Get to know Wes and his family, you'll be glad you did.

For Janet Favorite, navigating her son Robert’s rare condition has been a rollercoaster, steadied by her family’s commitment to providing him with expert care and access to resources at Gillette Children’s. Read her story here.

The day was Christmas Eve, the year was 2003 and the Ketelhohns were resting and watching a movie in their home near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was an idyllic evening, but their youngest daughter, 8-month-old, Kate, had a slight fever. It was the type of malady that many children experience throughout their development. There was no reason to worry, until there was.

The human body is a miraculous makeup of coordinated and interconnected systems that, when operating properly, are a wonder to behold. But when things aren’t operating correctly, this interconnectedness can cause a whole host of complications. This issue is precisely why Gillette’s Aerodigestive Clinic was established last year.

Learn how a selective dorsal rhizotomy and single-event multilevel surgery (SEMLS) Gillette, along with her intrinsic determination, has led to newfound independence and confidence for Kaidyn.

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.

After moving from small-town Iowa to the Twin Cities to be nearer to Gillette, Bentley’s parents describe him as a whole new child. He’s talking, reading and thriving in kindergarten, where his classmates exude kindness.

When 3-year-old Ashlyn sustained life-threatening injuries in a car accident, her family worried her personality, which they call "fierce," might not return. Discover how care at the Regions-Gillette Level I Pediatric Trauma Center helped Ashlyn, and her entire family, heal.

“Knowing that Gillette is a PPMD-certified Duchenne Care Center means the world to us because we know for certain Tyler’s getting the specialized care that he needs," says his mom, Marilyn. Meet Tyler and learn about his family's "game plan" to tackle Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Parents worry. Parents worry about their child’s growth, development, friends, school, future. It’s a universal truth, baked into our biology. When a child is diagnosed with special needs, however, a parent’s worry can snowball into anxiety. That's what happened to me, but here's what I did.

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.

The Gillette inpatient rehabilitation program is accredited from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. We also received accreditation for our pediatric brain injury specialty program. Read about the meaning behind these honors.

“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.”

Elliot and his sister Amelia have a typical sibling relationship; they fight, they argue, they push each other’s buttons. But they have a unique relationship as well, that stems from Elliot's diagnosis with a rare chromosomal abnormality.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Marshall Taniguchi, MD, recently spoke to us about his work to help patients who have cerebral palsy achieve their highest possible levels of independence and quality of life. Watch the Facebook LIVE video here.

Have you seen our new therapy pool? It's perfect for kids who have cerebral palsy, spinal injuries and other complex medical conditions. Take a virtual tour to learn more about the state-of-the-art facility.

Five years ago Guadalupe sustained a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She stayed at Gillette nearly six months as she built strength and learned to make the most of her existing abilities.

As a child in the 1940s, Lyn Baier traveled with her mother by bus from the family farm in southwestern Minnesota to the old Gillette building near Lake Phalen in St. Paul. She spent months away from home getting treatment for her deformed right leg.

Jackson sustained a spinal cord injury when he was 16 years old. The injury thrust Jackson, who stands a tall 6’2’’, into a new reality of life in a wheelchair. But instead of giving up, Jackson made the decision to embrace his new reality.

A significant portion of children who have chronic care conditions – many of whom are already on numerous medications – might benefit from the low-risk and non-toxic benefits of acupuncture.

As the Bodell family returned home from an afternoon of bowling, an intoxicated driver plowed into their car. Three-year-old Havana Bodell sustained a spinal cord injury. Less than a year later, the family is speaking out about the dangers of driving under the influence.

Colten's family thought he'd come down with the stomach flu. Then his illness became something much more severe. Learn how a Gillette pediatric neurologist and Colten’s rehabilitation team helped him reclaim his childhood.

A new study shows that the number of trampoline injuries is on the rise. Gillette experts say there is only one way to curb that trend -- don't use them.

For many children and families, summer means plenty of fun in the sun. Parents, however, need to be cautious. Many outdoor activities can end with injuries or – even worse – a trip to the emergency room.

The Feyereisen family built a sandlot field in their backyard to inspire inclusiveness and teach kindness among their triplet sons, who have varying degrees of disabilities, and their friends. It's come to resemble a real-life "Field of Dreams."

At Gillette Children’s, we understand that choosing a fellowship program is a difficult and important decision. So, we sat down with two of our current Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine fellows to talk about how they made their decision, why they ultimately chose Gillette, and having been here, what they think now?

Even after an injury heals, sometimes an imprint of it can remain. How this happens varies from person to person. But for some individuals, like Ali Tokkesdal, it manifests in the form of chronic pain. “I couldn’t walk. It felt like my body had turned against me, like it was haunted,” says Ali.

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.