St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1959-05-15
Mother Tells How
Cerebral Palsy Center
Helped Her Son

Helped her Son
Twenty four year old Rain
Workout is handsome, strapping
young man. His eyes are bright
and his complexion glows. At first
glance he appears to be bursting
with, health and energy. 1t is US
ually when he stands and begins
to walk that a person meeting him
for the first time notices the I'M
steadiness of his gait, the lack of
coordination of his feet and his
painful struggle to maintain his
balance. For Rain is suffering
from Cerebral Palsy.
According to his mother, Mrs.
Grace Workout, 1889 Smelling
Avenue, Rain was born a normal
baby, although he developed colds
quite easily and rather frequently.
When he did, they seemed to
settle in his mastoids," causing
commissions.
He was hospitalized several
times, after his third serious bout
with mastoiditis, he developed en-
cephalitis - an inflammation of
the brain caused by a virus in
lection. The encephalitis, in turn,
caused cerebral palsy - a result
of damage to the brain cells which
transmit "orders" to the muscles.
After several months in the
hospital, Rain came home. Before
his illness, he had begun talking
and crawling Now he was unable
to move; could only follow the
movements of his family with his
eyes. When ne was still quite
young, he began to take treatment
at the Minneapolis Curative Work
shop. Later, when he reached
school age, he was admitted to
Michael Bowling School for Grip
pied Children.
Mrs. Workout has nothing but
praise for the miracles" accomp-
Ished at Bowling school.
bowling put Rain on his feet, "
she explains. when he first en-
tered classes there, he was barely
able to sit up alone. He got around
by crawling on his hands and
knees. The skin of his knees was
thick like elephant hide from con-
slant friction"
The therapists at the school did
not recommend crutches. They
felt that the crutches might be-
come mental crutches, and that
Rain might never learn to walk
alone. Finally, with the aid of
therapy, he took his first stumb-
ling steps and eventually learned
to walk.
Rain remained in Bowling school
until he was IS. At that point his
education had been carried to the
limits he was capable of absorb
ing.
When his schoolwork ceased,
Rain was at loose ends" Mrs.
Workout noted. He was unable
to find a job because his disability
made him an accident risk Fin
ally we heard about the workshop
maintained by United Cerebral
Palsy of Greater Minneapolis
(UCP). Rain was among the first
employees hired"
The workshop, opened years
ago, initially employed five handi-
capped workers. Today there are
more than 100. Anticipated pay
roll for 1859 will be approximately
$4,000. Jobs are made possible
through sub-contracts with local
business and industry.
In addition to his employment
at the UCP Center Rain also
participates in the Friday night
adult recreation program for the
handicapped offered by the Center.
II don't know what Rain would
do without his job and the social
activities offered by UCP. We're
very grateful for what has been
done for him." Mrs. Workout
said.
Rain Workouts story is an ex-
ample of what is being done for
the palsied in the greater Mime
apolis area. The teamwork of such
schools and organizations as Min
neapolis Curative Workshop, Mich
ael Bowling school and Minneapo-
lis UCP show what can be done
to help the victims Of Cerebral
Palsy.
During May, national Cerebral
Palsy Month, UCP Of Greater Min
neapolis will conduct a fund drive
to raise money to maintain its
workshop, a school for severely
handicapped youngsters (inelig-
ible for admission to Dowling), its
adult recreation program and pro-