Sienna Cordell is one third of a set of triplets – three adorable blonde peas in the pod.
But siblings Harrison and Grace, who are just three years old, already know their sister has special needs.
Sienna was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged
one. The disorder is caused by an injury to the developing brain,
usually in the womb, and dramatically affects movement.
The trio were born prematurely on March 26, 2010, to Bacchus Marsh’s Brad and Briohny Cordell.
“They’re fantastic, they protect her,” said Mr Cordell of Harrison
and Grace. “At three years old you wouldn’t think so, but they know she
can’t have small toys, they know they have to be careful around her.”
Mr and Mrs Cordell, who have two older sons, aged 13 and 14, hope TheraSuit therapy can give Sienna a new lease on life.
The TheraSuit program is run by the Neurological and Physical Abilitation Centre of Los Angeles.
The suit frames the body, providing support and resistance
simultaneously, and improves and changes pressure from joints, ligaments
and muscles and facilitates proper movement.
“It gives them posture and core strength so they can try to walk
and use their muscles and strengthen them that way, rather than a
walking frame,” Mr Cordell said.
“It’s not going to be a magical cure – nothing is.
“Our specialists say, ‘Buy a wheelchair and be done with it’ … that’s the harsh reality, accept it. But we’re not willing to.
“Each treatment is around $9000, and we’re hoping she can have one a year.”
He said that while their other children did a “brilliant job”
helping their parents, their situation could get hard and was very
costly.
Mrs Cordell takes Sienna to Geelong for physiotherapy once a week.
In the past year, Sienna has had two operations to correct her eyes, costing about $10,000 each.
“It gets hard on the older two when we have to split our time so
hugely,” Mr Cordell said. “Even simple things – I’d go out and kick the footy with them or play cricket every night, and now you struggle to do that once a month.”
The family’s friends have rallied around, hosting fund-raising and charity events to help the Cordells meet Sienna’s needs.
A rock’n’roll bingo night to raise money for Sienna’s first
TheraSuit session will be held at the St Bernard’s Parish Centre in
Bacchus Marsh on Friday, October 4.
The night will include entertainment by Kenny Millar and a silent
auction of autographed memorabilia from Jimmy Barnes, Dannii Minogue,
Greg Norman, Kasey Chambers and Marcia Hines. Tickets cost $20.
» 0432 604 020 or facebook.com/pages/Sienna-one-step-at-a-time/494306750648021
