Let me begin by saying that before coming to the Onn School in Israel I had no idea what Cerebral Palsy was. Call me naive but I think that a majority of the population only has a vague idea but in most cases it is a group of people often disregarded by society at large. With this in mind, I want to tell you about my experience working with these children, some of the lessons I learned along the way, and perhaps to help enlighten a few more people who just didn’t know. 

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a group of problems that affects body movement and posture. It is related to a brain injury or to problems with brain growth. It causes reflex movements that a person can’t control and muscle tightness that may affect parts or all of the body. These problems can range from mild to severe. Mental retardation, seizures, and vision and hearing problems can occur in people with cerebral palsy.

My first week was admittedly very emotional. It was very difficult to see children in such a state, there were moments of heart wrenching distorted looks on the kids faces, moments of disgust seeing the drool all over there clothing. It was something they couldn’t control and it was hard for me to understand and harder for me to not look away. It took time, but by the end of the week I started to get used to it and realized that these kids were just kids after all. There is something very human about seeing kids interact with each other, watching them play, share, laugh, and cry. It certainly changed my perspective, the way I approached them, the way I treated them. I knew that I had to treat them as I would treat any other child. I was working with Physical Therapy Department. Each child would have physical therapy at least 2 to 3 times a week if not more and I was assigned a few children to help every week. We would stand, walk, play, and stretch. Of course communication was always an issue considering I didn’t speak any Hebrew and they didn’t speak any English. But somehow we found a way.     

As the weeks went on I was learning some more Hebrew and and the kids were making progress! It was truly amazing to see the fruits of my labor though the progress was small I started to really see it. Kids were walking better, moving there bodies with more control, doing more things for themselves. I really felt like I was making a difference. 

Working with these children taught me many lessons. Lessons about patience, affection and care. They were so grateful for my help and it was not just because I showed up to work everyday but it was because I did it with enthusiasm and passion. You could really see the difference when you took your time with the kids, treated them with a loving kindness, kept a positive attitude and that made all the difference to them and towards their progress.

Lastly, I formed a bond with them, a friendship that transcended barriers of verbal communication. I couldn’t speak with them, but every time I saw them they had the biggest smiles on their faces. They would ask if I was going to work with them for their next physical therapy session. I had never felt so warm as I did working in this school. After working in corporate America for 2 years, I never felt appreciated, I never felt like it was rewarding. At the Onn School I felt both rewarded and appreciated everyday.

This was my experience and I encourage everyone to find ways to volunteer their time for others no matter what the cause. I promise it will be worth it.