United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Our daughter is 14 months old but we think about this often. It seems like some things would be more difficult than others and I was curious to find out what you played and what you found difficult to play whether you toughed it or not. Do we still have hope for a future women's hockey pro in our family? [Said of course knowing she can full well do what she puts her mind to!!]

My Mom never held me back. I played basketball,softball, and bowling. The sport that gave me the most frustration to try was tennis. I could never throw that *#%! ball up to serve. I lived down south so we did not have hockey. LOL If there is a will there is a way. That is my motto. Good luck with your daughter and let her try any sport she wants. We know our limits, but sometimes we are stubborn. Judy(43robpi)

I'm with Judy!
Let her play anything she wants.

I loved baseball and swimming. Both were great for exercising the arm.

I was (and am still) a horrible bowler. I think it is the balance, or lack of it, that throws me off. When Tim and I were first married, we joined a bowling league, and they gave out two tropies at the end, one to the best bowlers and one to the worst. Guess which one we got? It was still fun though and at least we got a trophy!

Nancy

My parents never held me back, and I was thankful for that. I found out what I was good at and what I was not good at. I succeded in soccer, and loved that sport since I did not have to use my hands and arms at all. it was a sport that was all legs. I loved volleyball, but because of my elbow contraction every time I bumped the ball the ball went wherever it wanted to and I never could "set" the ball due to the arm length. Just let your child go after the sport they like. They'll know what they can do as far as their limits go.

Hi Nancy,
With no disrespect, we are of similar age and I do not have bpi. That said, I don't bowl very vell either! I couldn't help but laugh when I read your post. I went bowling earlier this year and out of 3 games never made it to 100. On the slight occasion that I have, I consider that reason to celebrate! I have never had the courage to get on a league.

Hi Sara,
My LOBPI daughter is 20 and the YOUNGEST of 3 girls. Non of us are very sports minded. However, along the way sports did come up.

Track and Cross Country are good, but again it was the only school sport ANY of my girls could get into because they did not make cuts due to ability, in track. My oldest has hip problems, and she was always last; her goal was only to best her own time. I drove my middle daughter into school at 6 a.m. to practice and then try out for Jr. High Volleyball; she didn't make the team either.

Now for Jill (now 20 LOBPI) She did try summer baseball league when she was in 6th grade. I had earlier found left hand baseball gloves at a garage sale. I first showed her and then practiced with her to catch the ball in her right gloved hand, then place it hurridely (sp) in the crook of her bent left arm, pull her right hand out of the glove, grab the ball and through it to the proper baseperson.

For grade school PE. Jill did not like to talk about her injury, and had trouble making her needs known to the teachers. I had to get good at asking Jill "what are you doing in PE now?"

When it came to Volleyball (maybe 3rd or 4th grade), I really had to think and think, but came to a solution. Jill could not hold the ball with her left, in order to serve. She said to compensate, the teacher had another student hold the ball and Jill served off of the other students hand. I asked Jill how she felt about that and she said "I don't mind, its the only way I can serve." Well, after a few days of thinking, I found a way that Jill could serve on her own. Jill's forearm is now frozen in the neutral position, and her hand hangs with ulnar deviation. She can open and close her hand, but is not able to seperate her fingers (abduction and aduction). I gave her a toe seperator (found in the beauty dept.) for applying nail polish. In grade school they did not dress for PE, so she kept it in her blue jean pocket. When needed, she put it on the Left hand and the ridge of the toe seperator and the fact that it spaced her fingers out allowed her enough time to serve the ball off of her LOBPI hand.

Another time, on the morning of the graded test, Jill announced. "Mom, in PE we have been practicing for the Presidents Physical Fitness. I can only do 2 floor pushups and I don't want to get a bad score." With little time to spare before the bus came, I quickly jotted off a note to the PE teacher. IT SAID: "Jill is concerned that she will get a low score on her pushups. Would you please allow her to do modified wall pushups." The teacher complied, and Jill was happy with her score.

What I found the hardest was that every year, in grade school, Jill had a new PE teacher that "had to be educated" The beginning of every school year I went in and met with the PE teacher, classroom teacher too.

In Jr High another girl with CP, only a few years older with similar limitations, preceded Jill so that teacher was already educated.

In High School, Jill got a lower grade in PE one report card, but that was because of her bad teenager attitude. When Jill did her best the PE teacher knew and graded accordingly. The funniest thing was in 1998, the High School PE teacher had all 3 of my daughters in the same hour PE class her first year teaching. She said that had never happened before.

For me the most heart warming memory I have was when I was driving up to the grade school, and in the play yard was Jill's class at recess. Jill was playing on the Horizontal Ladder Bar. Another girl was underneath Jill holding her up so she could be successful and hang and go forward along the horizontal ladder. I will never forget it. It made my heart happy. Hope this helps. I have walked your path and know how hard it can be. Angela

I participated in every sport that my friends were playing as a youth: baseball, basketball, football, swimming (I learned to swim as part of my PT), volleyball, tennis, downhill skiing, etc. The only sport that I stopped playing early was tackle football. I just didn't tackle very well (not necessarily related to my ROBPI) so I played flag football instead. Also, I found that I couldn't generate enough bat speed to hit a baseball with power so I started playing slow pitch in my 20's. I played slow pitch baseball until I reached early 50's when my unaffected arm would take too long to warm up. I try to ski once a week during the ski season plus take week long ski trips to various ski areas.

So I wouldn't worry too much about about your daughter's participation in sports. Let her find her own way.

John P.

Thanks! Just one of those things that you think about and wonder "hmmm, how *will* she do that?" We intend on exposing her to lots of different activities and allowing her to find what satisfies her most. I was just curious at what you found was easy or more difficult to do.

Thanks so much!!

I know I am late on this post but I would like to say that just like the other adult/obpi's posted I was allowed & encourage to try everything. I played basketball on a cyo team for about 3 years. I rode bikes, roller skated, bowled for about 4 years ( have a triplicate patch for 3 game in a row @ 86... and got most improved bowler that year... LOL..) I bowl left handed I am robpi. I could never master tennis I tried so many ways to learn to serve and never managed to do it. I think I took formal lessons about ten times before I realized I don't like tennis it was just because I hated to give up.

I never felt I could not try something because of my arm. Four years ago I learned to operate a potter's wheel and I thought I could not do that... so glad I did.
Kath

I have LOBPI and I've played ice hockey my entire life. well up until about 3 years ago when the town I live in got rid of their only ice rink but I was even recruited to play college, unfortunately I was only good enough for a partial scholarship, so I went instate instead I like to brag though that I COULD HAVE been on the NCAA CHampionship U of Minnesota women's ice hockey team in 1999... but didn't pan out.....lol
I say let her do whatever she wants just push her to have fun and do what she likes... my folks put me in everything from soccer, tball, swimming and volleyball to ballet (ballet didn't last that long.. I was too much of a tomboy...lol)
There will be sometimes when she'll get frustrated with her arm, I know I did... but it can also give the motivation to try harder and ultimately get better at wat she's going. It's also good therapy to work those muscles out.. especially trying to hold the stick!

Shannon

I'm late on this reply as well. I wasn't able to dribble the basketball with my left hand (lobpi) so that was out of the question for me. Tennis, I could do, except, when I would serve, the ball would go kind of wingy, but I managed to serve. Softball was my favorite sport though. I was in track and threw the discus and the shot put as well, because I could do that with one hand. I say let her try anything and see how it goes for her. I'm sure no matter what she tries, she will succeed in it.