Cooper's New Wheelchair!

Apologies for not posting any updates on the blog for a while.  We had a rather hectic three months leading up to Xmas.  Cooper got sick numerous times following the trip to Melbourne as did the whole family.  In addition the landlord was selling the house we were renting so needed to find another place to live.  Thankfully we found a great house and moved in just before Xmas.  The place is fantastic and very suitable for Cooper who has just started using his new wheelchair (the smallest and only one of its kind in the country) and after two weeks he has already shown great progress.  This new found independence has given Cooper a massive boost psychologically and is now building strength in his arms. I am hoping that when he starts daycare in a couple of weeks time he will feel more confident joining the other kids and doing activities.  We are off to Melbourne again next week for 6 days of treatment for Cooper so will update again when we get back!

Raffle Finished!

A big THANK YOU to all of those who took part in the raffle.  It has been has been fantastic to see so many support Cooper's cause.  This enables Cooper to benefit from various treatments and therapies which could ultimately assist him in getting stronger whilst promoting functional change.  A massive THANK YOU to Steph for co-ordinating the raffle we are extremely appreciative of all  your time and effort organising this event you are a true star!!!

First lot of Treatment Finished!

Well 3 weeks of treatment has finally come to an end!  Cooper had been a little trooper managing the 5 hours of therapy a day.  It is certainly good to be home though.  This therapy was more about preservation of his spinal cord with the hope of reviving some perhaps dormant cells in his cord.  The difficulty is because Cooper is so young it is hard for him to tell us of any subtle changes such as sensation and movement. The key now is to keep up lots of physiotherapy and exercise for Cooper to maximise any potential changes.  I am very excited as today I am picking up two bikes for Cooper and will post these on the site shortly. We have certainly felt this treatment has been worthwhile and will look to repeat the treatment at Hypermed in the New Year!.

Thanks again to those who have donated.  Donations are still being accepted for Cooper's next lot of treatment in January.

The Pulinis

New logo

Our heartfelt thanks to Emily Matthews who has designed our new 'One Small Step 4 Cooper' logo. See more of Emily's work on her website http://www.designem.co.nz/.

Day 9 of Therapy at Hypermed!

After 9 days of therapy I have to say Cooper is doing very well coping with such a full on schedule.  We are averaging now 4 hours of Oxygen and 1 hour of Lokomat walking  per day.  Cooper is exhausted by the afternoon and so are we!   If I never have to watch Toy Story, Elmo and the Wiggles again I will be happy!

I have to say I think Cooper is enjoying the Lokomat much more.  Every patient starts off air walking to get their body used to it before they use stirrups to flex their foot in a standing position due to spasticity in their legs.  Cooper was able to lightly touch the treadmill with his feet today and showed no signs of spasticity or clonus which is tightening or shaking of the legs and common in para/quadriplegics and can be described as someone either having high or low tone of which Cooper is low tone.  Cooper seems to be coping very well with this and keeps checking himself out in the mirror.... a trait that runs in the family!!!

Until next time...

The Pulinis xxx

Raffle tickets now on sale!

To all our friends in NZ, raffle tickets are now selling on the site below. There are plenty of fantastic prizes up for grabs so get yourself a ticket (or two or three...) and tell all your friends!

http://www.cooperscause.scamps.co.nz/

Thanks again for your support.
xx The Pulinis

Raffle tickets on sale tomorrow

Tickets for the raffle being run to raise money for Cooper will go on sale tomorrow (September 14th). Tickets are only available to those in NZ so please forward details on to all your Kiwi mates! The prizes are fantastic and it's for a good cause - beautiful Cooper! Visit the link below to purchase tickets.

http://www.cooperscause.scamps.co.nz/

Thank you to all of the companies who have shown their support for Cooper and the raffle. And a massive thank you to everyone who has followed us so far on facebook. Your support means so much to our family.


xx The Pulinis