Our mission is very simple. Through generous donations CMP provides orthotic devises and physical therapy training equipment to financially disadvantaged special needs children to help them achieve their mobility goals.
Our story - David Patterson, a Pediatric Orthotist, frequently saw financially disadvantaged special needs children in his practice. Their families could not afford the orthotic devices and physical therapy training equipment these children needed to improve their mobility. He started personally donating orthotic devices to these children. After speaking with his father Rob Patterson about these children, Rob and other board members established CMP to address these needs.
Examples of mobility restrictions might be:
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A child with high muscle tone, or spasticity, common in many forms of cerebral palsies and strokes, which can limit voluntary muscle movement
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A child born with low muscle tone, making weight bearing activities very difficult.
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A child born with no muscle tone, or paralysis, common in diagnoses like spina bifida, strokes, MS etc.
Examples of physical therapy training equipment might be: Specialty bikes, balls, scooters, balance discs, climbing toys, wobble stools, hoops, etc..
Below are stories of three children. The children's names have been changed to protect their privacy:
LUKE - Luke was born with Spina Bifida, paralyzing him from the waist down. Up until age 5 Luke was only able to move himself around by scooting on the floor using his hands, or by using his wheelchair. He then received a Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (RGO), a customized exoskeletal device that supports him in standing and uses Luke’s in-tact stomach muscles to swing his legs forward. With forearm crutches he can now walk independently. Luke calls his RGO his “Iron Man Suit” and is able to do things like kick a ball, stand and communicate eye level with is peers, and his personal favorite, give hugs.
SOPHIA - Sophia was born with Downs Syndrome and low muscle tone which causes the joints to be hypermobile. Subsequently it is common for children with Downs Syndrome to not walk until they are 2 or even 3 years old. With minor intervention of bilateral Supra Malleolar Orthoses (SMO’s), Sophia was walking and playing with her siblings and peers by 15 months.
WILLIAM - William is 11 and was in a tragic accident in 2019, suffering a traumatic brain injury. This injury left William mostly paralyzed from the waist down, with muscle spasms that force William's ankles to point downward. William now has dynamic ankle stretching braces that are restoring the range of motion in his ankles, and day braces that allow him to take assisted steps and use an adaptive bicycle. These tools along with great physical therapy, are allowing William to reach milestones that his doctors originally thought would be unattainable