Movement Inspired- Moving with Cerebral Palsy

Categories: Blog Mar 22, 2015

Happy Monday!

Did you know this month is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month?  Actually, this coming Wednesday, March 25th, is Cerebral Palsy (CP) Awareness Day!  Cerebral Palsy is a result of brain damage which causes loss or impairment of motor function, muscle control and coordination, movement, and reflex.  In some cases, CP can also impact fine and gross motor skills, and oral motor functioning.  It typically transpires while a child's brain is still developing and the common misconception is that there is no hope of improvement or cure for someone with CP.  We want to clear this up and support the Cerebral Palsy community (1 in every 323 children and over 800,000 Americans are impacted by CP).

Original Strength and our family here are full of hope.  We believe that movement heals and that movement gives hope.  So, in honor of Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, we are sharing a story of hope and freedom through movement.

 

Many of you have met my pal Jacob (featured in this post - Movement for All).  Jacob has Cerebral Palsy and has been working his way to more independence by implementing Original Strength.  Through Jacob and some of our other You Tube videos, I have also had the pleasure of working with Tevin Cherry.  Tevin also has Cerebral Palsy.

Tevin is motivated, driven, hopeful, and a very hard worker.  He dreams of walking unassisted and I am doing my best to support him in doing so.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tevin last week and wanted to share it below as this will far better share his story than anything I could write.

ME: What Does Movement mean to you?

TEVIN: I do not define movement just in terms of something that is physical, like reaching out to grab an object. Movement can also be accomplished from a mental standpoint as well. #cerebralpalsycan



I can remember when I was younger and thought I had limitations because of my disability. I later came to recognize my limitations only existed because of how I processed things. In order to combat this problem, I started saying things to myself like “Yes I can” or “I will do this”. Seemingly small things like this gave me permission to accept the physical and mental challenges that CP brought.

There people that are faster, smarter, stronger, wiser, and tougher people than me in this world, but the keys to my success are to maintain a positive attitude and constantly set goals for myself so that I can continue to promote movement going forward in the right direction.

Movement promotes freedom when your thoughts are released from the chains of doubt. A person must also embrace the fact that anything is possible when the decision to step out on faith is made. The tests in life will not always be easy, but I guarantee the decision will be worth it.

I have accomplished several things I thought would never have an opportunity to do like becoming my high-school’s first disabled athlete to ever compete in a sport with wrestling. I am also one of the first people with a disability of African-American decent from my town of Thomaston Georgia to earn a college degree from Gordon State College in business administration in 2013. The accomplishments I mentioned before are just a sample of what God has done in my life the best part of it all is that this is just the beginning and I know that my possibilities are limitless.

ME:  How did you come to hear about Original Strength?

TEVIN: I found out about Original Strength by accident. I was searching on YouTube for simple ankle and foot exercises and I stumbled upon a rocking video. I was blown away at how easy the exercise was so I started to do more research.

I admit it took about a solid month to buy into the simplicity of the program, but after seeing the vast improvements in my strength I knew right away that I had to add the resets to my training routine. I love the fact that a new video is released on YouTube each week (he's talking about our 'Movement Snack' videos that are shared each Wednesday)  because my routines constantly change and I never get bored or get stuck with basic exercises.

ME:  How have you incorporated the OS resets into your life? 

TEVIN: I have incorporated the OS resets into my life by doing little things such as doing the resets in my training program, and even making sure I have better posture when I’m sitting in a chair. Then, I like to practice picking up objects like my medicine ball and placing it back on the ground. I also like to start my days off with head rolls to wake my body from a night’s rest.

ME: What differences have you noticed since implementing OS into your life? How are they helping you?

TEVIN: Before I started using Original Strength, I could not complete workouts like I wanted because of fatigue (Tevin's body has to work a lot harder to control itself due to the Cerebral Palsy) and shortness of breath. Once I learned how to breathe properly and I started to develop a flow with my workouts, my endurance has increased to a whole new level. I also see major improvements in my balance. I am able to stand without holding on to anything for a very short time now.

ME:  What does your typical training session look like? How do you choose to move and play?

TEVIN:  My typical training session occurs on the living room floor or anywhere with plenty of space. I have discovered within the last several years that I don’t need a gym with weights to complete a successful workout. I like to start off with a light stretching routine and then progress through several of my favorite resets. My sessions usually last one hour depending on the amount of homework I have.

ME:  Why do you train as you do? What is your goal?

TEVIN: My training means so much to me because through my life I’ve dealt with discrimination.   I've been told time and time again that I wasn’t going to accomplish things because of my disability. The fitness community has always embraced me from my brothers Terron Cherry, Rontavious Skelton, and Trustin Brazer who introduced me to working out and coaches like Tommy Watson and Steve Patterson who believed in me when no one else did and worked with me each day to make sure I was the best that I could possibly be. I also appreciate Ross Enamait for seeing my potential and of course the great people at Original Strength for being so supportive.

My personal goal for training is to walk on my own without the use of my walker or my crutches. I want to help people realize that hope is possible regardless of any situation they may face throughout their life.

ME:  What is your favorite reset and why?

TEVIN:  My favorite reset is rolling. I love rolling because I consider it the hardest reset for me to master and from an early age I learned to embrace challenges that would seem insurmountable to other people. Segmental rolls were difficult for me to learn because I had to learn how to pick up my head all the way off the ground and then train my eyes to take me into the direction I want to be. I appreciate the benefits that rolling does for my core and spine plus it feels great.

ME:  What advice would you give others with CP?

TEVIN:  My first piece of advice for others with CP or any other disability would be to maintain a positive support system as much as possible. I’m so thankful that my parents and various family members always told me that “I can do it” and I really developed a sense of self-confidence after I bought into the things that they taught me.

My next key piece of advice would be to find a passion and commit to it. The importance of finding passion cannot be overlooked because without it would be very difficult for anyone to lay out a blueprint for their perspective lives and have an opportunity at living the best life possible. Passion also keeps the flame that burns inside going when things get tough. I can remember back in high-school when I lost over 150 matches in a row over a 4 year period. Iliterally wanted to walk away from the sport so many times, but I had the belief in my heart that I could win because of the fact that I had broken through academic and physical barriers earlier in my life. I’m just glad that I won my first wrestling match the last match of my senior year. I cannot say that my life has been easy, but I’m thankful to God for the grace I have been given to remain this consistent over the years.

ME:  Is there any information that you think people should know or that you would like to share?

TEVIN:  Yes! I want start off by thanking my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to have the opportunity to do the blog for the Original Strength website and represent those who are fighting a battle with Cerebral Palsy or any disability for that matter.

I am from Thomaston, Georgia. I have a twin brother named Terron and an older sister named Candra. I’m currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Clayton State. My hobbies include exercising, hanging out with friends, spending time with my family going shopping, watching sports documentaries, and watching the NBA and NFL on TV. My favorite movies of all time are Forrest Gump and Ray. I am currently doing an internship for the fitness center at Clayton State dealing with Marketing. I am the president of the Financial Management Association at Clayton State as well.

Lastly, I want to thank several people by name for helping me get to this point: Ms. Andrea Skelton, Dorothy Skelton, Ms. Candra Cherry, Mr. Johnny Cherry, and Terron Cherry, Ms. Carrie Shacarriea Jordan, Erion Jordan, Rontavious Skelton Michael Cherry, Ms. Shirley Raines, Mr. Cornelius Hollis, and Mr. Robert-Lee Skelton Mrs. Carolyn Price. Jarvis Blessett Daryl “Will” Jackson, Vantabious Ofton, Derwinski John-Baptiste, Rontavious Snipes, Dontarious Taylor, Brandon Foster, Zandria Carter, Kinai Allen, Renisha Clayton, Jasmine Coward, JahKeema Wimberley Ashley Wiseman.

I also want to thank my high school principal, Mr. Cleve Hendrix, My physical therapist ,Mrs. Deborah Hopper, and my aide, Ms. Tina Cleveland. I would also like to thank my high-school weight-training coaches Tommy Watson and Steve Patterson. I would also like to thank Coach Israel Ingle and the entire Gordon State College basketball team from 2010 to the present day and the Clayton State Men’s and Woman’s Basketball team.

I want to shout out the entire SAC Fitness Center Staff at Clayton State University and to favorite school teachers Mr. LeonPrieto and Mrs. Lisa Smith Hall and many more….

Wow! BLAM! I don't know about you guys, but I am incredibly moved when I listened to Tevin's answers to my questions.  What a rock star he is!

Those with CP are able to do many of the same things that anyone else can do, and in Tevin's case, even more things than most people are able to do.

Let's support Tevin and those with Cerebral Palsy this week by sharing his story and video everywhere, along with the hashtag #cerebralpalsycan! Let's become aware of all of those impacted by CP and see how we can provide hope and work towards some sort of cure or relief for children and people like Tevin.

 

 

 

Dani Almeyda is a Movement Specialist and OS Master Instructor.  She has been working in the health and fitness industry for about 10 years and has worked with clients of all ages and abilities from elite athletes and fire and rescue personnel to seniors,  pregnant women, and those impacted by physical and mental disabilities.  Almeyda has a passion for life and movement and believes we were all truly made to move and be filled with hope.  

Almeyda is a devoted  wife of a fireman, and mother of 2 (a two-year-old boy, and a 5 month old little girl), and is  co-owner with Tim Anderson of the Original Strength Institute in Fuquay-Varina, NC.  

Dani is available for distance training or private training sessions.  If you are interested or have any questions, email Dani@originalstrength.net. 

 

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