Hi, I am Vivian Maeda, I have been campaigning for a more inclusive society for many years. I am a great believer that awareness sessions, education, offering a space to talk about diversity are key towards achieving that. And early engagement is key to form a more inclusive community.
I did not know much about Cerebral Palsy until my son was diagnosed, even though it is the most common motor disability in childhood.
I did not know that Cerebral Palsy is a spectrum disorder, which means it affects each child in a different way.
I did not know that Cerebral Palsy although being a static neurological disorder, it does cause progressive musculoskeletal problems, therefore a lifelong commitment to regular physical exercise is crucial.
And good nutrition as well, but that's a topic for another book.
First, I educated myself about the condition and tried to work with Luca to improve his health and support his resilience, which are both long-term. Then the question, when to engage with his little friends? At what age? So, I bought several books about Cerebral Palsy for children and they were great, but none of them described Luca's cerebral palsy and most of them had older children as target audience in mind. And Luca started asking me questions: "mama, why do I wear splints?" So, I decided to write this book and have this dialogue about his condition, to better understand how his body works differently, and share this story with his friends, but also to remind him that he is more than just this condition. He is Luca, the kind, adventurous, curious, intelligent boy, who we love so much. Yes, he is different, and it is great that we are all different. By embracing diversity makes us better people and drives progress in the society. And early discussion about this is key.
I spoke with Luca about this and we both want to increase awareness of the condition and we hope this book helps with the conversation with children about Cerebral Palsy. Hope you enjoy!
All funds raised from this book will be donated to Cerebral Palsy Scotland
https://cerebralpalsyscotland.org.uk/