Community Corner

Therapy Puts Cerebral Palsy Child on the Path to Walking

Kiley Griggs can't walk, but she grew stronger over her 15-day session.

As part of her final day of intensive therapy Wednesday (Nov. 23), Kiley Griggs was slumped over and she was expected to pull herself up into a sitting position. Then, she was expected to do it again and again.

“Up!” therapist Karey Garrand repeated several times in succession. Kiley did, too.

“You stuck? You better pull yourself up,” Garrand said.

Find out what's happening in Dunedinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I’m going to touch your cheek,” Kiley said to Garrand at one point.

“When we get to 15, you can,” Garrand responded. 

Find out what's happening in Dunedinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Kiley was exercising in her final day of a 15-day TheraSuit therapy regimen in Largo. She wore a suit fit with elastic cords and exercised her abdominal muscles as she sat with a physical therapist on a blue piece of equipment.

As she neared her 3rd birthday (which was Oct. 3), Kiley, who has cerebral palsy, lacked the ability to walk, crawl or sit up without assistance.

Her parents — Dunedin firefighter Jason “Jay” and teacher Lori Griggs, who live with Kiley in a subdivision just outside the city of New Port Richey — enrolled her  in the therapy at Lampert's Therapy Group in October. They believe it will help her fulfill their dream for her to walk.

The therapy is for patients with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders.

The Griggs are paying for it with money awarded to them from an .

****

The dream was selected as the grand prize winner in early October, after it received in the months-long contest. 

Kiley still could not walk or take a step without the help of a person or piece of equipment after she finished her final session. But there has been improvement, say her parents.

She’s sitting up much better, said Lori Griggs, who teaches at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes.

She can't rise to a sitting position without assistance when she's lying flat, but when she is already sitting up, she's maintaining the position better.

She’s holding her head straighter, Lori said. She’s bending her knees. She’s walking farther in her gait trainer.

There hasn’t been a lot of change in function.

“Just lots of strength,” said Jason Griggs. “Pure strength.”

****

Kiley's parents say they haven’t seen the last of what TheraSuit can do. They are planning on having her complete another regimen of the therapy in March and are planning for another in the summer.

The Griggs entered the UPromise Contest with the plan to use their winnings for TheraSuit. Their insurance wouldn't pay for the therapy. The Griggs hadn't received the prize money yet on Wednesday.

Government deductions are made from the UPromise prize, so they'll actually have less than $10,000 in usable winnings. They'll be able to pay for all of the March regimen and most of the summer therapy with the money, but the Griggs will have to do some type of fundraising for after the contest money is exhausted and to fund any future therapy.

The dream of walking has not been realized yet, Lori Griggs said.

"We want her to be as independent as possible," she wrote in an email. "If that means walking with a walker that is fine, but we want her to be able to do it by herself, which she is not able to do yet.

"...I know it's going to be a lot of work for our little girl but I also see in her the determination to make it happen. ...We don't look at the future too much in our home. We focus on what we have at the moment and how to make it better."

****

TheraSuit therapy, which Kiley started Oct. 31, retrains the nervous system, normalizes muscle tone, corrects gait and improves balance, strength and bone density.

The outfit worn during therapy is equipped with elastic cords meant to provide support and mimic muscle movement. A component has the patient lying down in a “Universal Exercise Unit,” a cage-like structure, and exercising using a system of pulleys, straps and splints attached to the structure.

The exercise unit is also used for a “Spider Cage” therapy, in which a web of bungee cords attached to the patient's suit and the cage suspends them upright.

“She needs a strong core, so that’s what we’re tackling,” Garrand said. 

Kiley named the cords on her suit “Meeko.” She liked to play with an extra cord during sessions. She likes the princesses from animated Disney movies, and she brought a Cinderella toy to Wednesday’s session.

Her parents rushed in and out of the room trying to record the therapy and not be seen. She cried when they went to therapy with her.

"Up" is the constant command Garrand gives during exercises.

TheraSuit is meant to be done five days a week for three weeks. Kiley had to miss three days of therapy due to illness. She made them up the following week to get to her 15–day total.

“She’s very motivated and wants to be able to move and do things,” Garrand said, “and I think that has really, really helped.” 

Kiley will continue exercises at home after therapy, and her parents should see more change in the coming weeks as her body processes what she's learned, Garrand said.

One exercise that Kiley was challenged by was raising her body while she was on her hands and knees. She moaned at times while doing it on her last day. Garrand said she endures the exercise longer now than when she started.

Another exercise had her stand up against the wall. Sometimes Garrand supported her and corrected her head placement. Sometimes she briefly stood without support. In one instance, she fell.

”I’m good,” Kiley said. “I want to do it again.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here