Medical Questions » Other Problems Questions » Question No. 757
| Question: | What are spastics? My friends at school are sometimes rude and call me names, and say I am a spastic. I see them in the streets sometimes, and they scare me. I don' t want to get like that. How do you become spastic? |
| Answer: | Your so called ' friends' need a lesson in manners, because those who are spastics are the innocent victims of a family tragedy.
Cerebral palsy is the correct medical term for most forms of spasticity. It is due to brain damage which usually occurs during development while a foetus before birth, or because the brain is deprived of oxygen by a placenta that is functioning poorly.
Children and adults who suffer from cerebral palsy are trapped inside a deformed and crippled body for the rest of their lives. They are subjected to cruel jests, rude stares, and an acute lack of understanding.
Try to imagine yourself, a normal, intelligent human being, having a body which refuses to respond to your commands and needs—a body that twists itself into grotesque shapes because of the inexorable spasms of your muscles. The frustration of such a situation is hard to comprehend.
Many spastics have normal intelligence, and some are university graduates. A few have competed successfully in the international Paralympics, but do not receive the acclaim that our normal Olympic champions achieve.
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