About Us
Our Goal
Our primary goal is to sponsor private early intervention therapy sessions for families who do not have access to these services.
These “intensives” are 5 days long and are not covered by provincial health plans.
Cerebral palsy is not curable, however children affected with CP can reach their fullest potential when they receive the proper support and management. Early intervention is critical to this success.
Therapy is an important aspect in treating cerebral palsy - the program we fund includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Our Founders
Alisha and Liam are South African Canadians and the proud parents to Aiden, who has cerebral palsy (CP). Their meandering path to finding Aiden included five years of fertility treatments, three painful miscarriages and a miracle embryo.
Aiden was born two months premature amidst a traumatic delivery and sustained life-threatening head trauma. It was later realized that Aiden suffered an extensive stroke.
The prognosis for Aiden was filled with uncertainty, and expectations were typically communicated with emphasis on worst-case outcomes. After two months in the NICU, Alisha and Liam brought Aiden home, depraved of hope and carrying shattered dreams for this baby they so desperately wanted. They faced the unknowns with Aiden amidst the ongoing COVID pandemic in 2020 in isolation with little to no support.
At the age of four months old Aiden started showing preference in using his left hand. They were offered one physiotherapy session every 4 weeks via zoom. This prompted the couple to urgently search for alternative private help. At the age of six months old, a private clinic opened its doors in Calgary - Aiden started attending therapy sessions and the couple found support from people who saw their son’s value and potential. Aiden was diagnosed with right-sided spastic hemiplegia cerebral palsy at eight months old. Over the course of Aiden’s exposure to therapy, including five-day intensives, they witnessed the positive impact on Aiden’s neurological development and milestones. Aiden continues to bloom and has already exceeded the expectations given.
The couple found community among other families going through similar journeys with their own children, and began to feel a stirring to share Aiden’s journey to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. They found it surprising how little people knew about CP despite it being the most common motor disorder in children. Even fewer people are aware of the costs associated with providing therapy and equipment for children with CP to improve their mobility and quality of life.
Hope for Cerebral Palsy was born with its primary mission to fund private quality therapy sessions to families across Canada. The stress of the diagnosis is a lot - let alone the added financial challenges of therapy. Liam and Alisha want to pass on hope to families, no matter where they find themselves on the journey - newly diagnosed or desperately searching for therapy options.