Roselle Girl Receives Scholarship for Specialized Treatment in Michigan
Roselle, IL ~ Five-year-old Emma Dislers of Roselle, Illinois, has been awarded a $750 scholarship to attend the Michigan-based Euro-Peds National Center for Intensive Pediatric PT in August 2013. Emma, the daughter of Andy and April Dislers, has Cerebral Palsy (CP), a gross motor impairment typically resulting from brain damage shortly before, during or after birth. CP affects each child differently, depending on the area of the brain that was injured. Emma is not able to walk independently and has a seizure disorder. She has seen numerous specialists and undergone many tests and medical procedures, according to her mother April. Emma was accepted to attend Euro-Peds in 2012, a more progressive specialized model of therapy that has helped her gain the necessary strength and repetition to “stand, play and take a few steps independently,” according to her father, Andy Dislers. “We feel very strongly about Emma's need for this intensive therapy program. Last year we enrolled her for two separate sessions [at Euro-Peds] in which she made great progress,” Andy recalled.
For the August session Emma will be at Euro-Peds 4 hours per day, 5 days per week for 2 weeks August 5-16. The scholarship will help defray some of the out-of-pocket costs of the therapy, which are not covered by the Dislers' health insurance provider. Other costs are covered from annual fundraisers, such as the June 8th “Emma Bear Motorcycle Ride,” held at Penny Road Pub in Barrington.
The Euro-Peds clinic (www.europeds.org) out of Doctors' Hospital of Michigan (www.dhofm.com) in Pontiac, Michigan, is a specialized hospital-based therapy program for children and young adults who have cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disorders. The $750 scholarship will help cover the “Suit Therapy” portion of Emma's 2-week treatment program. “Suit Therapy” is a European-inspired therapy modality that was brought to North America in 1999 when Euro-Peds became the first hospital-based clinic to offer the treatment. The Euro-Peds Therapy Suit is patented as a clinical medical device and assists with alignment, compression and strengthening during intensive physical therapy.
“Euro-Peds has brought a new meaning to Emma's life and we see how hard she works to accomplish news tasks. Last year we were fortunate to bring Emma to two sessions at Euro-Peds,” stated April Dislers. However, the medical needs of Emma have recently taken a greater financial toll on the Dislers family than expected when Andy's job was reduced to part-time.
If you are interested in contributing to Emma's therapy fund for Euro-Peds, you may contact Euro-Peds at (248) 857-6776, #3, for a donation to Emma Dislers' named account, which is administered by Doctors' Hospital of Michigan where the Euro-Peds clinic is based.
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For More Information: Anne Mancour, 248-857-6979 amancour@dhofm.com
ABOUT EURO-PEDS (Pronounced “Yoor-o-Peeds”)
Euro-Pēds® National Center for Intensive Pediatric Physical Therapy has been helping children who have cerebral palsy and other gross motor disorders reach their full potential since 1999 when it opened as the first hospital-based intensive pediatric physical therapy center in North America. The mission of their licensed staff is to teach children new functional skills leading to greater independence and health. The center is based out of Doctors' Hospital of Michigan in Pontiac, MI. It offers optional suit therapy during the intensive PT sessions and treats children from all across the U.S. and beyond. Online applications to the program may be found at www.europeds.org. Most health insurances are accepted. Financial assistance is available through the Euro-Peds Scholarship Fund.