What is it anyway?!

So many people have asked over the past 12 or so months, so I've decided to Answer. It's asked in many ways and the asker often doesn't realize that the question can come off as a dismissal. What's wrong with her!? She looks fine! Or some variation. She is fine as it turns out. She is amazing. But that isn't the point. Special needs parents often feel like they need to defend themselves and their children for being honest with the world about the struggles they live with. I'm not under the impression that people mean their questions that way, just disturbed by the trend of people trying to normalize everything because it is too hard to see children struggle. It is this attitude that keeps people from seeing children suffering and dying from diseases....diseases that have underfunded research efforts because people would rather buy pink and say they did their part, than admit that children suffer just like adults.

Anyway, here is an answer. And when people ask me from now on, I'll refer back to this post and attached picture. What is Hemiplegia? OMG children can have strokes!? She looks fine, you're worried for nothing? Why would you have her brain scanned!? But she's so cute....... I've decided to answer the only appropriate question. What is Hemiplegia:

Scientific Answer:

What is Hemiplegia?

Hemiplegia (sometimes called hemiparesis) is a condition that affects one side of the body (Greek ‘hemi’ = half). We talk about a right or left hemiplegia, depending on the side affected. It is caused by injury to parts of the brain that control movements of the limbs, trunk, face, etc. This may happen before, during or soon after birth (up to two years of age approximately), when it is known as congenital hemiplegia (or unilateral cerebral palsy), or later in life as a result of injury or illness, in which case it is called acquired hemiplegia. Generally, injury to the left side of the brain will cause a right hemiplegia and injury to the right side a left hemiplegia.

One child in 1,000 is born with hemiplegia, making it a relatively common condition. About 80% of cases are congenital, and 20% acquired.

You may also be told that hemiplegia is a form of cerebral palsy, a descriptive name for a wider group of conditions in which movement and posture are affected owing to injury to the brain. These conditions are lifelong and non-progressive i.e. they do not get worse, but they may look different over time, partly because the child is growing and developing.


Mom Answer: Hemplegia is a little girl who loves to dance. She tries to twirl and whirl with characters on a tv show and continues to fall. At 19 months this little girl already knows that there is something wrong with one side of her body. She glares down at her bad foot and points with her weak arm and screams "Foot Dumb!" Before collapsing into sobs.

What is Hemiplegia:

And yes she is cute. She knows that already. But Lola doesn't strive to be cute, she is spicy and wants more than that. She strives to run, jump, dance and get dirtier than her brother....so dirty she has hard earned the nickname "two tub Cole" Children aren't just adorable, they are small people, with hopes and dreams like the rest of us. Sometimes they are heartbroken, sometimes they get down...they have good days and bad days and they have real problems. Yes they are cute, but seriously that is just genetics encouraging us to keep going with weeks of no sleep and through the terrible 2s...3s....4s....it goes on an on.

I don't usually get all up and arms about these things. But then I think, there are children whose problems are way bigger than either of my children's and we see those kids get ignored by society all the time. It's time to stop turning a blind eye and doing something. Even if it makes you sad.