Thomas defies the odds

For 8-year-old Thomas Szabo, cerebral palsy doesn't hold him back. Diagnosed with right-sided hemiplegia at 7 months old, the road has been a daunting one for mum Clare.

"When he was diagnosed, you don't really know what it means. The physio was brilliant. She had experience with other kids, so she reassured us he would walk and all those other things, we just had no idea."

Hemiplegia is weakness on one side of the body. While the affected side can move, it is with reduced muscular strength. Health care professionals such as physical therapists and occupational therapists play a large role in assisting recovery.

Treatment is focused on improving feeling and motor skills, allowing to better manage daily living. For Thomas, the hemiplegia happened when he suffered a stroke as a baby.

The diagnosis came after Clare noticed tightness on the right side of Thomas' body, but nothing prepared her for a cerebral palsy diagnosis.

"He was my second baby, because I don't think I would have known as soon as I did if he wasn't. He was about six months old and we were living in Auckland. We came over from the UK, and I noticed he always had a knee up, and he'd fall over and then he'd get back up and his knee was all up.

"The doctor had a look at his hips and referred us to an orthopaedic to get it checked out. I was waiting for the appointment and in those weeks, I kept watching him more and more and I noticed when he fell over, he'd scoop himself around with just one hand. I took him back into the doctor and I said I think there is something wrong with his right hand as well. The doctor said 'I think you need to see a neurologist, I think he has cerebral palsy'.

"They said looking at the MRI and having met Thomas, they were surprised at how damaged the brain was. He is actually functioning pretty well. They said he was pretty much operating on half a brain. But your brain is amazing, that's why we are lucky it was so early on because you can reprogramme your brain ... kids like him are proof of that."

Thomas doesn't let anything stop him.

"I was saying to someone we were going for a physio appointment and it was during swimming sports. He said, 'but Mum, we might not get to the appointment, what if I make it into the finals?' In his mind, he is capable and he wasn't far behind the pack. He was really amazing."

Despite Thomas' brain damage, he remains mainstream in most of his schooling.

"School is harder, I think, because he's just about keeping up curriculum-wise, but he's not miles behind. It takes him that bit longer to process information. The language part of the brain is damaged. Even though he doesn't have trouble communicating, there are other things that affects.

"He will be mainstream all the way, but my concern for him is the things he is interested in ... will there be limitations? When it's deemed a mild disability, you don't get any support, and I'm just about to see if we can apply for any funding for him, because I think he does need support at school."

Thomas has been horse riding with Riding for the Disabled (RDA) since he was 4 and has progressed from having two people walk beside him to confidently riding on his own at a walk and trot.

"It's not just the physical side of it, it gives him confidence. Physically it is so important for him. He has come so far with his hands and coordination. He rides independently and it's been such a big change," said Clare.

If it wasn't for therapies such as RDA, Thomas would risk not being able to use the right side of his body.

Clare is positive about life ahead for Thomas.

"The journey so far has been pretty positive. Living in New Zealand with the McKenzie Centre and places like RDA, you just feel so lucky to be exposed to it. We have always said we've felt really lucky."