Jamie is a vibrant and determined 15-year-old member of Cerebral Palsy Plus.

Born two months premature, Jamie faced significant challenges from the start. On his third day of life, he stopped breathing and experienced a brain bleed, leading to Cerebral Palsy, which primarily affects his right leg. Despite these early hurdles, Jamie’s story is one of resilience, passion, determination and inspiration.
Recently, we were delighted to have Jamie join us to complete his school work experience placement. He brought so much energy and worked hard to secure several amazing raffle prizes for our family fun day. Reflecting on his time with us, he shared:

“I recently joined CPP as a student doing work experience. I have Cerebral Palsy myself and I really enjoyed working with an organisation that makes such a big difference in people’s lives. During my work experience, I learned how to reach out to companies to ask for items for a raffle to help fundraise, a process I thoroughly enjoyed. I was also able to meet the amazing people who keep the organisation moving in such a positive direction. Cathy and Donna were supportive and friendly, and I enjoyed getting to know them and gaining new skills – by the end of my final day, I didn’t want to leave. As a young person with Cerebral Palsy, it was lovely to meet others with the same disability in a work environment. I had a fun and rewarding time and feel inspired to do further volunteering!”

Jamie believes that having Cerebral Palsy is his superpower. It has profoundly influenced his life, opening up a world of possibilities and instilling in him a unique perspective. Driven by his passion and determination, Jamie is training to compete in swimming at the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. The para-swimming community, which he describes as close-knit, has become his second family.

Jamie’s dedication to his sport is evident in his rigorous training schedule. He trains eight times a week, including three early morning sessions that begin with a 4:10am wake-up call. His breakfast of choice: four pieces of toast—two with butter and two with peanut butter and jam—fuels him for a two-hour swim starting at 5:30am. This unwavering commitment is a testament to his motivation and resilience, much of which he attributes to his experience of living with a disability.

But Jamie’s ambitions extend far beyond his personal achievements. He is passionate about raising awareness and serving as a role model for younger disabled children. He wants to show them that with determination, nothing can hold them back. Throughout his journey, Jamie has faced and overcome numerous challenges. He took the initiative to educate his classmates about disability, confronting ignorance head-on, especially during his primary school years. He believes that society’s understanding of disability is far behind the reality of how many people live with disabilities.

One of the reasons Jamie considers Cerebral Palsy his superpower is its impact on his worldview and empathy. He says, “normal is so boring!” This perspective drives his advocacy and his desire to inspire and help others.

This is a story that was made to make people more aware of disabled people !!!

Donna has Cerebral Palsy and is a member of our charity.
She is also employed as our Office Coordinator.

Donna is 44 years old and has had Cerebral Palsy all her life.  Growing up with CP had its challenges and Donna says that one of her memories of her childhood is frequently feeling isolated and being left out of things like PE and school trips.  Now as an adult disabled woman and mother to her 6-year-old son Tom, Donna says she continues to feel isolated due to her disability.  She finds this particularly difficult amongst the other parents at her son’s school, who avoid getting to know her, and she finds it particularly frustrating that this also affects her son, who is rarely invited for play dates.

Donna moved to Bristol in 2006 to be with her partner John.  She first learned about Cerebral Palsy Plus when she was job hunting, and she began working for our charity as an admin assistant on a part time temporary contract.  She threw herself into the job and really made it her own, progressing to Office Coordinator and Donna has played an integral part in growing and developing the charity.

As well as being our Office Coordinator, Donna is also a member of our charity and she and her partner John and son Tom thoroughly enjoy attending our events and activities.  They particularly enjoy the social element, and love seeing their son play and enjoy himself, something they often find themselves excluded from in their day-to-day life as parents.

“I love the interaction with the members and how having Cerebral Palsy helps me do my job better, as I can see it from a member’s point of view.”

Winnie’s passion is horses, and she enjoys getting involved with Riding for the Disabled.   She particularly loves spending her time with horses Scoobie and Louie and worked hard to get them used to her mobility scooter.  However, unfortunately her scooter kept breaking down, as it is not designed for navigating countryside terrain.   What Winnie really needed was an all-terrain wheelchair, which would allow her to access more of the countryside that brings her so much joy. Winnie received a grant from Cerebral Palsy Plus which contributed to the purchase of her all-terrain wheelchair.  Having this new chair has improved Winnie’s quality of life and it has given her the confidence to enjoy her passion to the full.

“My new chair has changed my life and I am forever grateful. Adventure is on the horizon”

17 year old Leo’s passion is dance and he currently trains at Pineapple Dance Studio in London.  Leo is a new member of Cerebral Palsy Plus and came along to perform at our recent talent show.  Although he was nervous, he very much enjoyed the experience and was thrilled to get a platform to perform.  In his mum’s words, ‘it is tough being a dancer with nowhere to dance’.  Leo’s mum was told he would never live when he was born.  He was on ventilation for the first year of his life and she was told he would never swallow or walk.  So, to see Leo up there on the stage loving life and dancing so passionately was incredible and meant the world to him and his family!  Leo blew everyone away with his talent and passion that he won our talent event, which his family describe as the icing on the cake!

“‘Every child has the right to become the best version of themselves they can be. And it’s thanks to those who believe in them and organisations like Cerebral Palsy plus that make all the difference”