Stories of Impact
Cassandra
Cassandra is a very determined little girl. She was born not breathing for 10 minutes, had seizures and ended up spending the first 23 days of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “Some days we didn’t know if she would even survive,” recalls her mom, Monica.
Cassandra is now four years old. She has Cerebral Palsy (CP) and many other delays, but her strong-willed personality, combined with a top-notch team of therapists at Curative New Berlin Therapies (CNBT) has helped her reach many milestones.
“We could not ask for more compassion, love, thoughtfulness and caring not only for our baby girl, but for our whole family.”
Monica was particularly impressed by the collaborative approach that all of the therapists take to ensure that Cassandra is getting the best care.
“All the different therapists come together to work on the feeding, occupational and physical therapy,” shared Monica. “They communicate very well with us and even with the school therapists.” Cassandra has been in early childhood education for two years and is working diligently with her physical therapist, Anne, to get ready for her big debut in 4K this fall.
“She is working on her balance and on walking on uneven surfaces,” said Monica. “Stairs are a tough one for her.”
Despite her setbacks, Cassandra leads a very full and busy life. She loves music and dancing and is currently enrolled in a special needs dance class. Her brother, Conner, is a Special Olympics coach and will be volunteering at the special needs camp that she will be going to this summer.
Her sister, Nicole, will be getting married in July, and Cassandra will be the little flower girl. Monica shared that there was a time when she and her husband, Don, did not know if Cassandra would ever be able to walk. “At first we didn’t know if she would ever walk, and she surprised us all by walking before she was two because of all the great therapy from Anne.”
Monica said she and her family are constantly impressed by the therapists who are always coming up with new, innovative ideas and personalized touches for Cassandra. “Claire, her occupational therapist, even thought of an adaptive fork idea in her dream one night, and we were able to make one for Cassandra,” shared Monica. “Our therapists have become like family to us and the amazing care she has gotten since day one is unbelievable.”