Yug Kumar was born on January 15th 2007. At birth he was floppy, quiet, and bradycardic upon arrival. He then received blow by oxygen and was transported to NICU for more intensive care with intensive monitoring. He stayed there for 10 days. We were excited to bring him home after the long wait.
Everything was going normal. He was gaining weight, however, at age of eight months we noticed Yug was not using his right hand as much as he was using his left hand. His pediatrician referred us to a neurologist. At the age of 11 months, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. His right side was affected. He started lagging behind his peers in physical activities as well as speech. This occurred even though he was getting physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy through early intervention.
In 2009, he got the cord blood stem cells at Duke University Children’s Hospital. Since then he is improving. He always cooperates with all of his therapists even if he dislikes the therapy or the new exercise they introduce. He learned sign language very quickly and has started communicating using sign language with us.
He started going to inclusive Pre K School at age 3 and enjoys a lot of what they do in the class. His teachers consider him a bright kid although he is mischievous with them sometimes. He likes playing with his friends and does not want to come back home from school because he enjoys playing with them so much.
2010 was a special year for Yug. He started taking couple of steps independently with the help of ankle foot braces and has started to speak some simple words.
He is a smart kid, always smiling, never tired of playing with his little sister Saanvi or watching Barney. He is very fond of animals especially horses and he likes listening to stories.