“When you give a family the diagnosis that their child has cerebral palsy, you need to anticipate what their thoughts are, not overburden them or over-worry them and be as accurate as you can, while also maintaining your capacity for surprise,” Gormley says. “I remember it like yesterday, but years ago I had a patient who had severe tightness in her arms due to cerebral palsy. We provided injections to relieve that to the extent we were able, but I wasn’t sure how much that’d help her. But following the procedure her parents told us she was able to brush the hair of her doll. That simple act opened her world in a way we never could’ve predicted. What I appreciate about the care we provide at Gillette, and what I’d think our families do as well is that we allow space for our providers to try. There’s the medicine and what we hope the intervention will mean, but in the end we’re in this journey together.“