When Samari Hood was first carried through the doors of his developmental preschool in April 2009 by his mom, Stephanie, neither one knew if he would one day be able to walk through these same doors. Four years later at age seven, Samari not only can walk through the doors but open and close them as well.

Samari has spastic quadriplegia, a severe form of Cerebral Palsy in which all limbs are affected by spasticity which results in poor muscle control, coordination, and increased stiffness. Despite all of this, Samari has managed to meet and exceed every doctors’ expectations.

Samari was born full term with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. Although he was able to go home within two days of his birth, his mom soon realized he was not developing normally. “I remember how stiff his legs were and how difficult it was to change his diapers,” his mom recalls. Samari also experienced multiple bouts with pneumonia and ear infections within his first year. By age six months, Stephanie began to look for answers.

After several unsuccessful attempts, she finally was able to have Samari scheduled for an MRI, which revealed periventricular leukomalasia. “I was scared but glad to know what he had so we could start helping him.” She was told by physicians, however, to have very low expectations for Samari and was warned he would probably never walk or talk. Stephanie immediately found a childcare center in LR which specialized in children with disabilities. She was again told not to get her hopes up and to expect Samari to spend his life in a wheelchair.

“It was so hard those first years. Every doctor’s appointment was bad news. Every therapy conference was a disappointment. I knew Samari could do more if I could just find the right people and the right care for him.”

After doing some research, Stephanie decided to take a leap of faith and have Samari undergo a dorsal rhizotomy at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Following an initial pre-op assessment, Samari was determined to be a good candidate for the procedure and, at age three, he underwent the surgery. Samari did well and came home seven days later. He began outpatient physical therapy three times a week in Stephanie’s home town in south Arkansas. However, the small community could not offer the intense therapy Stephanie felt Samari needed, nor did they have the equipment needed to help Samari begin to work on walking. So Stephanie decided to move her son to Conway to enroll in Pediatrics Plus Developmental Preschool.

Once enrolled in the program, Samari began a weekly routine of physical therapy which included stretching, improving his posture and trunk strength, aquatic therapy, and, most importantly, walking. It wasn’t always easy, as Samari had days where frustration crept in. However, within a year, Samari was thriving. He was beginning to talk and participate in his classroom. He was crawling around on the floor and playing with his friends, and eventually walking independently in a walker. He was even able to walk up to the stage using only his walker during his preschool graduation.

Soon after, Samari started kindergarten and, although he was able to walk in his walker, he did not have the strength or balance to do so throughout and entire school day. Therefore, the decision was made to order him a motorized wheelchair. Samari quickly learned how to drive his chair and gained greater independence within his school.

His physical therapist, however, did not give up hope that Samari could one day use his walker more than his wheelchair. In December of 2011, Pediatrics Plus purchased the Lite Gait treadmill system. Samari began working with the Lite Gait system in his physical therapy sessions. The results were immediate. It is a weight support postural control system that can be used with a treadmill to facilitate appropriate movement patterns in a safe controlled environment. Samari ‘s muscle range improved so significantly that he was able for the first time to take repetitive steps without scissoring his legs across midline. Samari gained so much strength throughout his legs and trunk that he soon began to work in a walker designed for more independent mobility, and he never looked back.

Presently, Samari is walking throughout his school and keeping up with his classmates. Stephanie continues to be amazed at how much he’s accomplished and what a difference walking has made in Samari’s life. “He’s so confident and happy now. He talks about what he wants to do when he grows up!”

Author, Ashley Gregg is a physical therapist with Pediatrics Plus.