You may have seen Jibby taking his first steps as the star of our brand campaign. Now he’s four years old, shooting basketball hoops like a champion and running around with his sister and friends! Jibby and mum Nicole appeared in our new What is CP video series, an educational series featuring people of all ages with cerebral palsy talking about how the condition impacts them and what kind of supports they need.
Jibreel was born 15 weeks early and given four hours to live. His parents were given the option to turn off his life support, and they refused. Despite the initially bleak prognosis, Jibby got the early diagnosis of cerebral palsy and intervention needed to help maximise his outcomes. He started early with therapy and continues to work with CPA therapists on his movement, mobility and speech goals.
“When Jibby was first diagnosed with CP it was very overwhelming.
“There is so much support out there, you just need to embrace it. You need to take whatever opportunities there are and go with it.”
Nicole also commented on the benefits of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and how it helped her understand the different levels of motor function and what support Jibby may need throughout his life.
One of the videos in the ‘What is CP?’ video series looks specifically at GMFCS.
Nicole continues to raise a busy, happy boy who keeps her on her toes. Her advice to other parents is:
“Never give up hope and never under estimate your child. My son surprises me every single day with what he’s doing. He has taught me more than I’ve ever taught him.”
Keen to find out more about cerebral palsy? Head to the “What is cerebral palsy” web page for more information and to watch the video explainer series.
