United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi,

I am 19. I have a birth injury which is almost exactly the same as your son's. I have always tried to ignor the injury so I don't really know too much about it. You surely know more than me. But as a person with it I can give you some input.

Living with it (in my case atleast) really isn't bad at all. My right arm has very little mobility and is slighly smaller than the other. But people rarely notice. I can do everything just as well as the average person, I just do it a little differently.

Make sure your son keeps doing excersizes though.. forever. I stopped when I was 12 and have been losing mobility since.

OH! One more thing comes to mind. Don't let him get excused from gym class because of the injury! Believe me, that will only lead to bad things

I want to say thank you to everyone who responded over the weeks since my post....Michael is doing well and therapy 3 times per week and doing a lot of normal baby things!! I was glad to hear from so many of you and learn something from each and every one of you from your experiences...you are all an inspiration and I pray that you all continue to improve and live life to the fullest extent that you can!! I see our son and know that he has no idea what happened to him and he just keeps going!! He must have every opportunity to grow as a normal individual and I thank God every day for him and for his Dr. for having the expertise and knowledge to treat him and give him that chance to be normal and that is awsome!. I just hope that for all of you out there that you will continue to improve and live life to the fullest and I appreciate all of the wonderful posts which will definately help and give us insight for what to look for or to be aware of in the future... God Bless all of you , you are all angels

Hi Michael's parents.
i was born with brachial plexus due to a traumatic birth, 24 years ago. i understand that you would be worried about his transition throughout life. i can only explain what i went through in my life, because everyone's different! i have hardly any feeling from my elbow down, and my arm's hyper-sensitive from my elbow to my shoulder and down my ribs. i was in physiotherapy for most my life, my arm was on a 90 degree angle from the trauma, now i no longer have that problem. my life has be normal...for me. i have had many challenges, but i overcome them with the support of my family and friends. my life is as normal as it can be, i have a driver's license, and i'm able to do everything i need to do. i'm now taking an IT course in which i have to take apart computers...this i can do without help. i'm very proud of myself for this accomplishment! your son will do ok with support and a good attitude. COURAGE!!

I think I might just hang this post up in my son's room. Toxicologist, dietician, model, swimming etc.

Excellent and Fantastic.