Eva Foreman lights up a room with the twinkle in her eye and the infectious smile. Photo / Stephen Parker
Eva Foreman lights up a room with the twinkle in her eye and the infectious smile. Photo / Stephen Parker
One foot after the other, two-and-a-half-year-old Eva Foreman struts towards the mirror, with a twinkle in her eye and strikes a pose.
Laughter erupts as she turns around with a mischievous grin stretching from ear to ear - "I'm funny," she giggles.
As she slowly turns around to walk backto her mum, Sasha Macleod warns her to "walk properly".
If Eva's feeling lazy she can drag her feet behind her and let the walker, which props her up and aids her to move, do all the hard work for her - but that won't help her strengthen her weak leg muscles as a result of spastic cerebral palsy.
With the aid of her walker, Eva has a newfound freedom and nothing can stop her. Photo / Stephen Parker
"But if you keep trying and don't give up, even with stubborn stiff legs, you'll succeed," Macleod says.
And thanks to Bradley Foreman, Eva's father, she is succeeding. After leaving his job he takes Eva to therapy in Hamilton twice a week to make sure she has the best chance at a normal a life as possible.
Born at prematurely at 31 weeks, it was a tough start for Eva yet she came out of the womb fighting and hasn't stopped since, Macleod says.
She was a perfect baby who hardly ever cried, but in fact, that was the tell-tale sign that something wasn't right for Macleod, who has three other children.
After months of pleading for someone to listen to her concerns, just before Eva's first birthday, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy - the most common physical disability in children.
"We were really overwhelmed. It is kind of naive now, but I thought once they diagnosed her the doctors would say 'here's the handbook, here's the help and the government funding' but it was literally 'she has cerebral palsy' and that's it.
"The first thing that came to my mind was 'is she going to walk' and the doctors wouldn't tell you if she would or not. We were really worried."
But worries are all aside now as Eva interrupts the conversation. "I'm showing Daddy," she says proudly as she saunters over to Bradley showing off her walking skills.
It was after talking with other parents, both Sasha and Bradley realised she would walk, it would just be a bit later than usual and after a year in therapy, she has gone from rolling to walking.
Eva Foreman is a pocket of sunshine despite her weak leg muscles making life a tiny bit harder. Photo / Stephen Parker
"There are still in the bad days where you wish you could take the cerebral palsy from her and she can just run around with her brothers," Macleod says.
Now she is dreading the day she has to explain to Eva she has cerebral palsy and support her through the long list of operations which are just around the corner.
Her legs will soon have a dose of botox to relieve her muscles and make them stronger.
Then in a year, it is more than likely she will have to get her tendons cut, and at about 5, doctors say she will need another operation to help her walk.
On top of all that, and the three therapy sessions a week, Eva has to cover her good eye to strengthen her lazy eye and will eventually need an operation to straighten her sight.
Steptember
The Steptember campaign challenges New Zealanders to take 10,000 steps a day for 28 days in the month of September and coincidentally there are 10,000 people in New Zealand with cerebral palsy.
The condition is a result of a combination of events before, during or after birth which leads to an injury in the baby's developing brain Cerebral Palsy Society chief executive Gilli Sinclair said.
"There is no single cause for most babies. The cause remains unknown and there is a small percentage of babies that develop cerebral palsy due to complications at birth.
"But it is now believed that it arises from a series of causal pathways that, when combined, can cause an injury to a developing brain."
While Eva has a mild case of cerebral palsy, Sinclair says the condition differs in severity on a scale on one to five, where you may not notice it, or the person could need a wheelchair.
But the funds raised through Steptember enable the society to support those children through the way of research, travel costs, counselling and equipment.
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A cheeky cry escapes Eva when she is told she can't push her walker down the stairs. She loves a challenge whether it be in therapy or just to prove she can achieve just like the rest of us.
"She has taught us a lot. We can just stand up right now and walk but if she doesn't get rubbed down or if it is too cold then her body just does not play ball with her," Macleod says.
"She does not have the choices we have. It just makes you realise you need to enjoy the little things because it is not as easy for others."
