Cerebral Palsy Patient A SportsKids Award Winner

Two preteen Tennessee brothers have won the 2012 Sports Illustrated SportsKids of the Year award for doing triathlons — grueling races that feature swimming, biking and running. To complete one is an amazing feat in itself, but even more incredible is that the younger brother, Cayden Long, 7, was born with severe cerebral palsy. As this article in the International Business Times notes, he cannot walk or talk.

When Cayden was born, doctors told his parents to put him in a “home” since he would never be able to function normally. But his parents ignored the advice, choosing instead to keep him home with the family. Always looking for ways to bond with Cayden, his brother Conner, 9, decided to race a triathlon with him. As their mother says, “What Conner did for Cayden in that one little choice to do a race on a weekend, it changed them.”

The two didn’t compete against each other; rather, they raced together. When Conner swam, he pulled Cayden on a raft; when biking, he towed Cayden in a trailer; when running, he pushed him, in the same trailer. They now race often, as this Sports Illustrated video notes.  

In the video, Conner says, “It doesn’t matter what he [Cayden] looks like on the outside. It matters what’s in the inside … and he has regular feelings like we do … If people could race with people who can’t walk or talk … it might open eyes of people that don’t really care about it. And maybe the people that don’t care in the past will care in the future.”

Cerebral palsy is sometimes caused by improper medical care or negligence. Do you or a loved one have a child born with cerebral palsy or Erb’s palsy? If you suspect that their condition was attributable to medical error, contact a birth injury attorney at Sokolove Law today.

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