Press Release
June 2005

Christopher Reeve Foundation Supports St. Mary’s Program for Children with Partial Paralysis

One out of every 1,000 children in the United States is born with or acquires a brain injury resulting in partial limb paralysis. St. Mary’s has the only certified pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury/Coma Recovery (TBI) program in New York City and has developed a unique therapy to help children learn to use their legs, arms, and hands again. Recently, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) awarded St. Mary’s a $15,000 grant to support expansion of the program.

The program uses Constraint Induced Therapy (CIT) to help children with brain injuries resulting from accidents or diseases regain their independence. Our young patients learn not only to walk again, but to perform everyday tasks such as washing dishes, combing hair, or brushing teeth. Learning these skills in a way that children retain them after they are discharged requires many more hours of treatment than can be provided by professional therapists. Each day for several weeks children under CIT for up to 6 hours, performing exercises with the impaired limb. With the support of the CRPF, St. Mary’s is recruiting volunteers from local high schools (e.g. St. Francis, St. John’s Regis, Bayside) and colleges (e.g. Queensborough, Hofstra) studying health related fields. All volunteers will be trained to conduct CIT tasks and exercises.

(pictured above) Zachary Portnoy learns to use his left arm after being partially paralyzed.

About The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. The Foundation also vigorously works to improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities through its grants program, paralysis resource center and advocacy efforts.