When Jhostin’s parents brought him to Mano a Mano’s physical therapy program eight months ago, he had the psychomotor development of a 2-month-old. He was unable to lift his head, sit, extend his legs, or feed himself. His parents had sought treatment for him but couldn’t afford private therapy, and no public program was available.
Then they heard about Mano a Mano. Without fail, they bring Jhostin to our physical therapy program three times weekly, using whatever transportation they can find. The physical therapy staff and volunteers draw from a variety of specialized equipment, shipped to them from our St. Paul warehouse, to help Jhostin reach a higher level of development and gradually become more independent.
Now Jhostin can raise his head, sit with a bit of support, stand in a dorsal stander, and walk a few steps with full leg braces while using a specialized walker. His psychomotor development has reached that of a one-year-old child. His social development has increased from that of a four-year-old to an eight-year-old level.
In-home therapy sessions were recently added to Jhostin’s schedule. Mano a Mano’s lead physical therapist began teaching Jhostin’s parents to use simple therapy devices to help with his exercises at home.
“Involving the parents is vital to long-term, sustainable treatment,” they say. “Parents make great sacrifices to help their children succeed. We want to support them in any way possible.”
“During our visit we could see the whole family’s gratitude for the improvements that they have seen during the past eight months. We feel very loved and appreciated by each and every one of them. As the name Mano a Mano says, if everyone lends their hand, we can do great things.”
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