Meet Sebastian who is now three years old. He was referred to the Elks Therapy Program when he was five months old. He had undergone spinal cord surgery and was still recovering. Sebastian was born with spina bifida. Spina bifida is a birth defect that disrupts the normal formation of the spinal cord. The nerves and muscles of his legs are affected. He has some movement in his hips and upper legs but is flaccid below the knee. Sebastian is a very spirited young fellow and determined to keep up with his sister and classmates. He loves to climb and go down the slide. In therapy we have worked to strengthen his legs and develop his balance. A tricycle was adapted so his feet could stay on the pedals and he could strengthen his legs while having fun. Until recently crawling was his primary method of getting around. He was unable to place his feet flat on the floor to allow for bearing weight and stepping. With the help of an orthotist we were able to make him special braces to help with his foot alignment. He has made amazing progress and, with the help of a walker, he is now walking! AND very proud of himself!
Sebastian’s family lives in a very remote part of the state. Occasionally they need to go to Children’s Hospital for appointments with specialists. It is 5-6 hours each way when they need to go. His family appreciates that they can get therapy in their home town.
They want to say “THANK YOU” to the Washington Elks for providing him therapy services over the last three years.