Cerebral palsy: How intensive therapy helped Rotorua child with brain injury

Rotorua toddler Greer Rodda was born with a severe brain injury. Her vision is impaired and she will probably need to use a wheelchair or walking aids. Her parents, Jacque and Thomas, have seen ‘amazing results’ with her neurological development with intensive therapy. However, the therapy isn’t funded in New Zealand so the family pay $8000 to $9000 for a three-week programme. As an Australian company offering intensive therapy plans to set up a headquarters in Rotorua in 2025, Jacque Rodda says it should be funded in New Zealand.

Jacque and Thomas Rodda found themselves “in a world that we never saw ourselves in” when their daughter Greer was born with a brain injury.

Their 16-month-old requires care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, after she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, cerebral vision impairment and epilepsy.

Greer’s brain will never be “normal”, but her parents are doing everything they can to make the symptoms of her brain injury less severe.

Intensive therapy has helped, Jacque says. Greer has been able to sit up by herself for the first time and roll.

“I cried,” she said of the moment she saw Greer’s achievements.

“Just her being able to sit opens up your world.”

It comes as an Australian company offering intensive therapy is setting up a headquarters in Rotorua in 2025 after a three-week programme in the city in November.

Rotorua mother Jacque Rodda, her husband Thomas and their 16-month-old daughter Greer, who incurred a brain injury at birth. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rodda said Greer incurred a brain injury at birth and suffered an “unexplained brain bleed”.

“We were in a world that we never saw ourselves in.”

Shortly after birth, Greer had emergency surgery at Starship hospital “because pressure was building on her brain”, Rodda said.

While the surgery helped, she still had a “severe” brain injury.

The brain injury resulted in diagnoses of cerebral palsy, epilepsy and cerebral vision impairment — which Rodda described as Greer being “functionally blind”.

Rodda said it was “likely” Greer would eventually need to use a wheelchair or walking aids because having cerebral palsy could cause problems with her legs.

Because Greer requires 24/7 care, she cannot go to daycare. Her parents were committed to “giving her the most we can” and worked part-time, taking turns to look after her at home.

Thomas and Jacque Rodda are committed to giving their daughter, Greer, the best life they can. Photo / Andrew Warner

Intensive therapy in Rotorua

Greer took part in a three-week intensive therapy pop-up clinic in Rotorua, run by the Centre of Movement.

Centre of Movement is a paediatric allied health clinic in Australia, renowned for its specialisation in neurological disorders.

Rodda said intensive therapy, such as that offered by the Centre of Movement, was not offered in New Zealand and the family paid $8000 to $9000 for the programme, which involved working with occupational therapists, exercise physiologists and lots of repetition of sitting and movement.

“It’s called neuroplasticity so when your brain is growing, there’s lots of chance to rewire it and get better outcomes.”

She said the programme allowed her to connect with other families going through the same thing.

“Raising a child with high needs is [an] incredibly lonely and isolating experience.”

Rotorua mother Jacque Rodda says she has seen "amazing results" from intensive therapy. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rodda said it was “absolutely amazing” intensive therapy would be offered in New Zealand once the Centre of Movement opened its clinic.

But her biggest concern was “access to everybody” because people needed to pay for the services.

She believed intensive therapy should be funded in New Zealand because her family had seen “amazing results”.

“If we can get better outcomes for Greer’s life, she’s going to cost the system, longer term, less.”

‘Change is needed’ in New Zealand

Centre of Movement director Emily Pennisi said New Zealand families were travelling to Australia to access intensive therapy because it showed “promising results” and was unavailable and not funded in New Zealand.

Pennisi said it received “hundreds” of applications for the Rotorua pop-up clinic.

She said it would open a headquarters in Rotorua in 2025, and would return to New Zealand next year for another pop-up clinic.

Pennisi said intensive therapy was funded in Australia, where children could access 250 hours of therapy a year.

“In New Zealand children are missing out — you can see their potential and they are not able to be seen by the health system in New Zealand as it stands.

“Change is needed and we hope to be a part of that.”

Te Whatu Ora interim national chief allied health, scientific and technical lead Sue Waters said physical therapy had great benefits for children with physical, sensory or intellectual disabilities and those with, or at risk of, developmental delay.

Waters said it offered child development services that provided a community and/or centre-based service to support families to enable their children to reach their potential.

This included physiotherapists and occupational therapists who worked with tamariki and whānau, and could include fine motor skill development, developing day-to-day skills and providing sensory processing education and support.

Alongside these publicly funded services, there were some private and community providers of therapy services for children, she said.

She recommended getting advice from your GP or local healthcare provider when considering healthcare options for children.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.