April 14, 2016

by: Guest Contributor

Team Aeriana – Why We Race

This week’s blog was written by Ashley, the mother of Aeriana, who receives therapy services at UCP of Greater Cleveland. Ashley, Aeriana and their extended family and friends have participated in the Race to Empower  for the past three years, and are eagerly awaiting the fourth annual race on May 1, 2016.

When Aeriana was diagnosed with cerebral palsy we tried several other therapy facilities and had very little success. Aeriana is a strong willed child that did not like the therapist making her do things she did not want to do. This resulted in her crying through the entire therapy session. Not a soft whimper but ear piercing cry. Finally the other therapy places had given up and by the end of the session they had handed her off to me to finish their work. That all changed when we came to UCP. Their will was stronger than Aeriana’s. As a result of their persistence and dedication, Aeriana has made progress in her therapy. She can sit on her own, her hands are no longer in the closed position, she can say some words and has overall better body control. All of the staff at UCP has been great. They go above and beyond to help us in any way they can.

When we first heard about the Race to Empower we knew we wanted to be a part of it. We thought it was a great way to raise awareness about cerebral palsy and other disabilities as well as support UCP. In Aeriana’s daily life she is the exception instead of the norm. At the race, she is the norm instead of the exception. Our family looks forward to participating in the race every year and our team keeps growing larger. It is such a fun and inspiring atmosphere to be in. This is just one small way we can support UCP in all that they do for everyone. We hope that we can continue to participate in this great event yearly!

If you would like to support this team, click here to make a donation in Aeriana’s honor: https://fundraising.active.com/fundraiser/Ana_sAngels2.

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