World Cerebral Palsy Day

Friday 25th September marked two years since the passing of Luke. Even though Luke was technically my nephew, he was pretty much like a brother to me. We grew up together and as a child, every other weekend, I would go to stay.

Luke was born with cerebral palsy so he was unable to walk/talk but he was so cheeky and loved the typical things any 22 year old man would. Luke’s cause of death was sepsis and two years on, we are still heartbroken. I think about him every day. He was instantly taken from us.

It still really hurts but I’m learning to deal with the grief and I’ve decided that I want to continue with my weight loss journey so that I can work towards doing a run or walk (I’ve been looking at the Three Peaks Challenge) to raise money for a cerebral palsy charity in 2016.

Luke has a younger brother, my nephew Karl, who also has cerebral palsy and he is also amazing. Luke and Karl are the reason I want to help raise awareness of the condition, cerebral palsy.

Today (7th October 2015) is World Cerebral Palsy Day. 

What is Cerebral Palsy?

You can find detailed information about CP over on the NHS website.

View the What Is CP Infographic for more information and recent statistics.

Today is so much more than an awareness day, it is an opportunity to:

• Celebrate and express pride in the lives and achievements of those with CP and the people and the organisations that support them
• Create a powerful voice for those with CP to change their world
• Connect organisations across the globe so they are better equipped to meet the needs of those with CP
• Create new solutions to everyday problems
• Act as a catalyst for social change and education campaigns that create solutions to universal challenges
• Produce tangible, actions and outcomes that measurably improve the lives of those with CP
• Raise awareness of CP and the issues that affect people with CP at a local, national and international level to create more inclusive societies.

There are 17 million people across the world living with cerebral palsy (CP). Another 350 million people are closely connected to a child or adult with CP. It is the most common physical disability in childhood.

CP is a permanent disability that affects movement. Its impact can range from a weakness in one hand, to almost a complete lack of voluntary movement.

What can you do to help raise awareness?

Join the World CP Day community and tell your story by placing yourself on the I AM HERE map.

Tweet/post about World CP Day on social media.

Use the World CP Day tools to take action in your own city/town.

Be seen in GREEN. I will also be wearing green to mark World CP Day.

For more information on World Cerebral Palsy Day and to join in with the campaign, head over to the World CP Day website. You can also follow them on Twitter and take a look at their Facebook page.

Disclaimer: Facts/information found in this blog post are taken from the NHS choices and the World CP Day website.