July 26, 2012
A 25-year-old man, who suffered a Cleveland, Ohio Birth Injury known as cerebral palsy, is spreading a message of hope to others with his condition. “Don't be embarrassed. Embrace your disability,” he told the Newbern Sun Journal.
The Cleveland, Ohio, man has struggled with the condition his entire life. It has caused him to have trouble both balancing and walking. After developing another condition, known as Scheuermann's disease, when he was 13-years-old and developing a hunch in his back, he underwent a corrective procedure that inserted a rod near his spine to straighten out his back.
The rod bruised his spine and left him with a paralyzed right leg. While feeling in the leg eventually came back, it was weakened and, now he will never be able to perform certain tasks, such as driving a car.
His condition left him feeling isolated and alone throughout high school, but realized college may be his second chance for acceptance. He went out of his way over the next several years to educate and create awareness of his condition, which he found most people tended to embrace.
The Cleveland Personal Injury Lawyers with Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy say that more than 750,000 Americans are affected by cerebral palsy, with approximately 1,500 new cases being reported each year. If you or a loved one suffers from this condition due to a birth injury, you may be eligible to receive compensation.