A Long Beach, California cerebral palsy sufferer had his Christmas wish filled by the Long Beach Junior Concert Band with the gift of a drum.

22-year-old Nelson Miles might suffer from cerebral palsy and high-level autism, but “when he air drums, his disability goes away,” said his mother, Tuesday Miles.

When Nelson turned 16, the band showed up at his birthday party. “They’ve been in his life ever since,” said Tuesday. “He knows every move, every song.”

Tuesday told reporters that the band has taken him in, and said that Nelson memorizes every single step in a drum routine and meticulously repeats it.

Nelson owns 100 drum sticks, and plays in the air all the time, according to his mother. She knew what he needed for Christmas.

When Tuesday posted on Facebook that she wanted a used drum to buy for her son, the band leaped at the opportunity to help. They raised the money and bought the drum for him, showing up the day after Christmas at his house with the gift.

“He loves the band,” said Don Koegle, a supporter of the band. “He’s kind of been a fixture. He loves the drums, and we’re glad we’re able to do this for him.”

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – cerebral palsy lawyer

Two children from Katy, Texas, will now be able to communicate with family and friends, thanks to a special Christmas gift from the Katy Police Officers Association.

The organization presented Logan Cook, 3, and Kameron Martinez, 14, each with an iPad 2 with Proloque2Go, software that provides communication solutions for people who have difficulty speaking.

The funding for the gifts came from officers of the Katy Police Department, members of the Katy Fire Department and other community contributors.

With cerebral palsy, dystonia, nystagmus, spasticity, epilepsy and exotropia, as well as a benign brain tumor, Logan Cook has a lot to overcome.

“He has full intellect and comprehension, but because of his brain damage form the CP, he can’t talk,” said his mother.

At speech therapy class, Logan is able to communicate using an iPad, but when he gets home, things can be frustrating. With an iPad of his own, that will change.

Kameron Martinez, with cerebral palsy, wants to communicate with people, she just has trouble doing so.

“She’s a very social girl – very outgoing, and she likes to say, ‘hi’ to people,” her father said. “They’ve just always had a hard time understanding her, and this will really help with that.”

It is easy to take for granted our ability to communicate. Giving the gift of communication to these two children is bound to make their lives much fuller.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – cerebral palsy lawyers

Comedian Josh Blue has recorded a public service announcement for the American Academy of Neurology Foundation to help support the organization in its fight to cure brain disease. The video is hoped to raise awareness about cerebral palsy and the need for research.

Blue is known best for being the season four winner of NBC’s television show Last Comic Standing. He has demonstrated amazing improvisational skills in his stand-up routines, and does much to break down stereotypes of people with disabilities.

“Having cerebral palsy, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do, but my friends always told me I was really funny and I discovered stand-up comedy,” Blue says. “So having a physical disability, I realized at a pretty young age that if there was anything I didn’t accomplish in my life, it wasn’t because I had cerebral palsy; it was because I was just being lazy.”

At least a half million people are affected by cerebral palsy in the United States. The disability is usually caused by brain damage before or during birth, sometimes in the first few years of a child’s life.

Blue’s story is inspiring, and any help he can provide to raising awareness and funds for cerebral palsy is appreciated.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – cerebral palsy lawyers