This is Leo’s story, as told by Cory.
“Jimmy and I have been together for 2 and a half years and very quickly knew we were right for each other and wanted a family together. We married in February 2024 with our little Leo beside us. We’re hoping to welcome another epic kiddo into the world in the near future.
We had our little ray of sunshine, Leo, in June 2023 and we fell in love with him straight away. He has been the most incredible baby and has taught us so much already. We can’t wait to see all the accomplishments he achieves in the future.
We first met [paediatric neurologist] Dr Miteff when Leo was only 4 weeks old, after he had an abnormal MRI. Leo was officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) when he was 6 months old. We have been working closely with the EDC team since Leo was born.
Our first appointment at the EDC was a bit overwhelming, but we felt supported by the team. They made sure we were in control of the appointment the entire time.
It was hard watching the team trying to get Leo to complete all the different tasks, knowing that other kids were able to easily do these things. Leo is nearly 18 months old now and absolutely loves seeing his whole team and smashing every goal they set.
Before Leo’s diagnosis, we didn’t know much about CP and mostly associated it with what you see as the typical adult with level 5 CP. We really didn’t have much knowledge or understanding of how CP affects a baby. It has been a very steep and fast learning curve, not only as first time parents, but parents of a child that has different needs. We have definitely had a lot of information to take in and understand.
Leo’s diagnosis was extremely hard, even though, based on his MRI results, we were prepared. We had assumed he would receive a diagnosis of hemiplegic CP, but when we heard he has quadriplegic CP, it hurt our hearts so much. Even though receiving Leo’s diagnosis was one of our worst days ever, the environment we were in [at the EDC] and the way the team delivered the news was comforting and reassuring. As much as that day is full of emotional turmoil and grief for the life our family thought we would have, we appreciated how well it was handled, and how our emotions were taken into consideration.
Since we have been working with the EDC team, we have noticed huge changes with Leo! We truly never thought he was going to be able to do all the things he can do now. Leo has met and exceeded every challenge we have given him. He learnt to sit independently at 5 months, to roll both ways by 8 months. He could stand and hold himself upright against furniture, all by 9 months old! Based on his 3 month presentation we had assumed Leo would need full time electric mobility and numerous aids but because of early intervention at CPA, he is now taking unassisted steps at 16 months old, cruising along the furniture and trying his hardest to walk. He bum-scoots around so unbelievably fast and pulls himself up on everything. He is such a delight of a person and makes us laugh and smile each and every day.
Leo is now tracking to be a GMFSC level 1 or 2 , something that was not even part of wildest dreams at the start of this journey. He was projected to be a level 4-5. This change and dramatic drop in his prognosis is 1000% due to intensive early intervention! His entire life and independence have been forever changed for the better due to this. I cannot reiterate the positive life changing role his early intervention has played for him and our family. Something our family is beyond thankful for.
Leo is a happy little baby, always smiling and laughing. He loves cuddles and being out and about. He is the most determined, resilient and downright awesome kiddo. He makes us so proud to be his parents and has shown us what real strength is. He loves our dogs, especially their kisses. He chases them around and tries to throw their toys to for them. They are very patient with him.
Leo loves swimming and could be in the pool all day, every day. He was in his element when we went to Fiji recently, because he was able to swim all day and had everyone’s attention. Coming into summer again, our little water baby is back in his element. He can now swim around happily with his floaties on, without us holding him. He loves splashing the water and swimming and kicking around. He is super cheeky and has learnt to sit on daddy’s tummy and bounce up and down.
We hope Leo can have a full, loving, and enjoyable life. We hope he can experience the same things typical people do and hope he has some amazing friendships and relationships. We hope more than anything the world is kind to him and allows him to flourish. He has so much to offer, and we just want him to be successful in anything and everything he wants. We as parents will continue doing everything we can to help Leo achieve any dream he has.
Leo is without a doubt the best person I’ve ever known. His diagnosis doesn’t define him, and we are going to keep smashing goals with early intervention therapies. We have so much hope and excitement for his future now and it’s all thanks to an early diagnosis, which gave us access to early intervention.
Your priorities change once you get a diagnosis like this. As long as Leo has a happy and full life and can wake up every day enjoying it, that’s the biggest win for us.
Cerebral palsy is not his disability but his superpower! He may not do things the way a typical person does, but typical is boring. So he will learn his own Leo way to do anything his heart desires! He WILL succeed with anything he wants, and we can’t wait to watch him do that.”
