NOKOMIS (WSNN) – A young Sarasota County boy with a movement disorder receives a transformational gift today.
“This therapy is a really good thing for me,” Brayden Scarcella said.
Brayden Scarcella is a 10-year-old boy living with a type of cerebral palsy that causes paralysis on one side of the body.
“His right side doesn’t work as well as the other, so Brayden really has to work harder, maybe at everyday tasks than you or I would have to do,” Brayden’s mom Alexandra Scarcella said.
So, to help with this condition, he does hippotherapy, which is a speech, occupational and physical therapy a specific therapy using horses as a treatment tool. He does it every week at InStride Therapy in Nokomis through Easterseals of Southwest Florida.
“It’s a very different treatment tool that you won’t find anywhere else,” Easterseals and InStride Therapy & Partnerships’ Director, Nicole Murby said. “Using the horses, the pelvis imitates a human pelvis. So when the child or adult is riding, it’s like they are walking as well. So, it’s a lot of work physically.”
“Therapy is not always something that is really exciting, even though it’s a necessary part of his everyday life,” Alexandra said. “And so we love that on top of going to traditional therapy.”
“I really like when I ride the horses and do different exercises, side sit, back sit,” Brayden said.
After a couple of years of doing these sessions, Alexandra says she’s seen improvement in her son’s balance and coordination.
“We’ve seen so much growth in just him and his ability to do everyday tasks, things like even just walking up and down the stairs, he’s gotten so much better at and just his ability to be balanced, climbing out of car doors,” Alexandra said.
But it’s not cheap. Some insurances cover it, but for Brayden, that’s not the case. This is why, The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods – an independent and assisted living community in Sarasota – is covering Brayden’s next six months of therapy. All made possible through the national nonprofit, Watermark for Kids.
“It’s all about community, but it’s not just about The Fountains, we like helping where it’s needed,” The Fountains Community Directory Michelle Sayre said.
“I feel really good, I feel like my bones are getting stronger,” Brayden said.
A life-changing gift for Brayden and his family.
