Just a year ago, 12-year-old Salomon Grigy couldn’t jump. But now he can.
Salomon was born premature, at six months of pregnancy. He spent his first two-and-half-months in the hospital and his premature birth reduced his motor skills and left traces in his brain.
“We saw when he was six months old, that there was something going wrong with him,” said his mother, Maria Grigy. “He couldn’t move the way we could see other children moving.”
At two-years-old, Salomon was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, called spastic diplegia.
“He has physical limitation due to the tightness in his leg that gives more pain, so he needs more rest,” Grigy explained.
Growing up, Salomon liked to play soccer and do physical activities. But he would get so tired that his doctors in France told him to use a wheelchair to get around. When the Grigys moved to Canada three years ago, however, that changed quickly.
“When we came here, the doctor said, ‘I don’t want to see you in a wheelchair,'” said Grigy, adding that it was surprising to hear.
Things really started to pick up a year ago when she met ABM NeuroMovement practitioner, Jenny Abrams, through a therapist.
“Salomon is just, since I’ve met him, he’s just grown leaps and bounds,” Abrams said. “We do lots of different movement patterning and it’s really all based on feeling and awareness of movement.
Now, after lots of physiotherapy and treatment, Salomon can walk quickly and even jump – something he couldn’t do before he met Abrams in 2019.
But his mother said he still hasn’t been able to fulfill his biggest dream.
“He just wants to run faster, really,” Grigy said. “It’s like, ‘I want to run faster mommy, I want to have the ball in soccer, I want to score and I want people to stop saying I won’t push you.’ He just wants to be without physical limitation.”
Abrams put Grigy in contact with a doctor in New Jersey that performs a non-invasive procedure that may be able to help Salomon reach his goal.
“This procedure is actually where there is no structural cutting, so the risks of this procedure are extremely low,” Abrams explained, adding that the recovery time is also very short compared to other operations.
Abrams’ child has a similar diagnosis to Salomon, and the procedure worked for them.
But the operation has a large price tag attached: $22,000. Grigy started a GoFundMe in October to help fund the operation. She’s already raised more than $6,000 and hopes to have enough for his surgery by next year.
“We want to give him the best life he can have and deserves,” she said.
In the meantime, Salomon is still in the race – whether that’s on Fortnite or on the soccer field. And he’s not giving up anytime soon.
Jasmine Bala
