Understanding Cerebral Palsy through a Pierce singer -

Gary Moratz / Roundup

Being restricted to a wheelchair doesn’t mean you need to be restricted in life. Having a positive outlook helps Pierce College student Bethany Bookin view her wheelchair not as a hindrance, but as an advantage to help others.

Bookin was born two and a half months premature with cerebral palsy (CP) and has been restricted to a wheelchair, but her limitations are very few. She enjoys singing in the Pierce choir and is looking forward to performing in the upcoming choir concert.

“I’ve had some singing classes one-on-one, which was great, but this is a whole new situation,” Bookin said. “The private lessons were fun and I learned great techniques, but performing live is what I love to do.”

Cathryn Tortell, adjunct music instructor for Pierce, enjoys working with Bookin.

“She is very astute, analytical and a committed student,” said Tortell. “She’s been phenomenal.”

Tortell added “She sees things with life, people and music that most of us miss. It’s wonderful for us instructors to have students that are really bright and intellectual, because you need that in music.”

“I like trying many different things like skiing, ice skating and dancing. It’s not just restricted to people that can walk,” Bookin said. “We wheelchair dance.”

“When people dance they don’t just use their legs. That would be boring,” she said.
Wheelchair dancing is something Bookin would like to teach children with disabilities. She said it is not only fun, but also good therapy for them since it involves lots of movement.

“Don’t just think of your legs, think of your arms, your head, your torso, your neck, think of everything when your dancing,” Bookin said. “I wish I had this kind of class when I was young.”

Today’s world is more understanding about encouraging people with disabilities to try new things, and the old wall stopping them from trying new experiences is largely torn down.

“Parents don’t have any idea that they need to give their children this opportunity to sing, to dance, to go skiing,” Bookin said. “Our society has become more educated about disabilities. It’s still not where it should be, but it’s better.”

CP is a non-progressive and non-contagious condition that causes physical disabilities.
The highest percentage of occurrence of CP is during pregnancy and smaller percentages happen at birth or after, up to about age 3.

The disorder is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain. In the U.S., approximately 10,000 infants are born with CP every year and 1,200 to 1,500 are diagnosed with it during preschool age.

Startle reaction is another condition of CP which causes sensitivity to certain loud, sudden sounds like clapping, popping balloons and thunder. This type of noise can cause flinching and a jumpy type of effect which does improve with age, but other types of sounds can be soothing and calming.

“Things like white noise, humming sounds and the waves rolling on the beach calm people with CP,” Bookin said.

There is no known cure for CP and medical treatment is primarily for the prevention of complications from the disorder. The disorder can be accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, communication and behavior.

Dealing with this condition can be challenging at times, but going through physical therapy can help greatly. Although Bookin is in a wheelchair, most of the time she still has feeling in her legs.

“I took my first independent steps at age 19 but I was always able to walk with a walker,” said Bookin, who is now 22. “Now I have a trainer that works with me every month.”?Bookin does not limit herself because of her CP, but instead tries to do all she can and to show others with disabilities life is meant to be enjoyed.

“Stop and enjoy your life,” she said. “People need to be grateful for what they have and stop running around and worrying about what you don’t have.”

You can see Bookin perform in the choir concert Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building located on the Art Hill (Room 3500).