Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Days 1-15

Like she did last year, Stacy has been posting daily facts about cerebral palsy on James’ Facebook page as part of Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. I will be compiling those daily posts into two separate posts here. Below you will find the daily facts from days 1 through 15 along with any notes that Stacy may have included with her posts. On March 31st, I will post the daily facts from days 16 through 31.

A special thank you goes out to the Firefly company for putting these facts together to help raise awareness about cerebral palsy.

And don’t forget to check out the Thirty-One fundraiser that Stacy is having from March 20th through the 30th. She will be donating a portion of her commission on all sales to the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago. And for every $20 dollars spent, your name will go into a drawing to win a prize.  For more details about this event, please check out the event page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1407299179582398

If you are not on Facebook and still want to participate in the event, you can shop directly on her Thirty-One website here:

http://www.mythirtyone.com/627441/shop/Party/EventDetail/8060574

 

Day 1:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “1” on the left and bold gray text reading “CEREBRAL PALSY ISN’T CONTAGIOUS RELAX :)”. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 2:

The doctors think that James had a stroke during the 1st trimester of the pregnancy.

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “2” on the left and gray text explaining that cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. On the right, an orange silhouette of a head contains a simple brain illustration with a crack symbolizing injury. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 3:

Yep, James cerebral palsy was caused by a stroke he suffered before he was born.

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “3” on the left. To the right, gray text states that over 90% of cerebral palsy cases occur pre‑birth. Beside the text is an orange outline of a fetus inside a womb. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 4:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “4” on the left. To the right, bold gray text explains that cerebral palsy does not necessarily involve learning difficulties and that people with CP often have an equal or higher IQ than the general population. An orange silhouette of a head with a simple white brain outline appears beside the text. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 5:

We don’t plan on James leaving us anytime soon, but with all of his other medical issues, we just don’t know.

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “5” on the left. To the right, gray explains that most people with cerebral palsy have a similar life expectancy to the general population, followed by the line “We’re not leaving anytime soon.” Beneath the message are simple orange icons of four human figures in increasing size, suggesting growth across ages. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 6:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “6” on the left. To the right, gray text explains that cerebral palsy does not always mean a person will never walk, with the message “Many can, many will.” Beside the text is a simple orange walking‑figure icon. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 7:

James makes sure to communicate my wants and needs…his likes and ALWAYS his dislikes!

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “7” on the left. To the right, gray text explains that cerebral palsy can affect communication, followed by the message “but we find ways.” Beside the text is a simple orange speech‑bubble icon. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 8:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “8” on the left. To the right, two simple orange child icons appear — one with a bow and one waving. Bold gray text states that kids with cerebral palsy are still just kids, “nothing more, nothing less.” A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 9:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “9”. To the right, gray text explains that about half of children with cerebral palsy are born prematurely. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 10:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “10” turned sideways on the left side. To the right, bold gray text states that there is currently no cure for cerebral palsy, paired with the message that nobody is giving up. Beside the text is a stylized orange DNA strand. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 11:

James will probably never live on his own, but there are so many that go to college, live in houses, have jobs, get married and have kids.

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “11” turned sideways on the left side. To the right, bold gray text states that people with cerebral palsy can lead completely independent lives. Beside the message is an orange house icon containing simplified figures of two adults and one child, representing family and independence. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 12:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “12” turned sideways on the left side. To the right, bold gray text states that many kids with cerebral palsy can, will, and should attend mainstream schools. To the right of the message is an orange classroom icon showing “ABC 123” on a board. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 13:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “13” turned sideways on the left side. To the right, gray text explains that cerebral palsy does not necessarily spare someone from stressful, high‑pressure work. Next to the message is a simple orange figure holding a briefcase beside a downward‑trending graph. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 14:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “14” turned sideways on the left side. Large gray text states that cerebral palsy does not necessarily improve or worsen on its own. To the right of the message are two simple orange icons: one of a doctor and one of a child. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.

 

Day 15:

An awareness graphic features a large orange number “15” turned sideways on the left side. Next to it, large gray text states, “There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with me, I just have cerebral palsy.” To the right of the message is a simple orange thumbs‑up icon. A thin orange line separates the main message from smaller text that reads "supporting special‑needs family participation and CP Awareness Month", along with the hashtag #CPAwareness. At the bottom is the orange “firefly” logo and the website “fireflyfriends.com.” A green awareness ribbon appears on the right side of the design.