This family is overcoming cerebral palsy without conventional therapies
By Elizabeth Hastings, 10th grade, Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School
Zayne Byrd was born with a massive brain bleed on the left side of his brain.
Now four years old, Zayne has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This causes the right side of his body to function abnormally. Many families would turn to measures such as medications or orthotics. But Zayne’s parents, Hannah and Nathan Byrd, don’t want to implement conventional therapies.
“Sometimes conventional therapies can be a hindrance for cerebral palsy in the long run,” said Nathan, who runs his own chiropractic office. “Being a chiropractor [I’m] more natural minded. We seem to support the body in its healing modes, versus surgically or medicinally.”
Cerebral Palsy is the most common motor disability in youth, affecting about 1 in 323 children. Some children with cerebral palsy can walk alone, but it isn’t uncommon for them to be unable to walk at all. Cerebral Palsy can mean learning disabilities, weak or brittle bones, sleep disorders, and more. But Zayne’s supporters don’t think that Cerebral Palsy will keep him from achieving great things.
For Zayne, Nathan and Hannah have chosen a path towards healing that includes a variety of non-invasive therapies and diets, such as physical, speech and occupational therapy. The diet piece is simple: non-processed foods and little to no sugar. The therapies are more complex.
In speech therapy, Zayne works on conversational skills, in which he has seen marked improvement.
“[At three years old] he was talking in broken sentences and sounded more like a baby and now it’s full conversation. Mostly,” Hannah said.
In occupational therapy, Zayne focuses on fine motor skills. He works with his hands, playing with toys and other activities.
“[It’s] rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life,” said Kassie Beach, who works with Zayne six times a week in physical therapy.
Physical therapy is the harder one for him. It works on Zayne’s ability to use his right arm and leg to the extent that a normal child does.
“It’s hard for him because they do a lot of stretching and, it’s, it’s not fun,” Hannah said.
Zayne is expected to be in some form of therapy for the next couple years, depending on his growth rate, but he is catching up so quickly in speech that those lessons are expected to stop this summer. The others, however, might keep going until he is 18, at which point insurance will stop paying for his therapies.
“Nothing will come easy and everything will have its challenges, but Zayne will do wonderful things and only time will tell just how amazing his destiny is,” Beach said.
People with Cerebral Palsy have gone on to be amazing things, like comedian Josh Blue, artist Dan Keplinger, model Abbey Curran, and more.
“Hopefully he’ll try and persevere and not let this become something that stops him from doing what he wants to do,” Hannah said. “He really tries. He always tried. He can’t always do it, but he always tries.”
