Meet Zach and River 

Twin boys Zach and River came to visit us in Redruth when they were four years old as part of a worldwide trip, in their parents Jess and Tim’s words, for therapy and fun.

Zach and River were born prematurely and spent much of their first year of life in hospital.  They have different types of Cerebral Palsy which is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain affecting a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.

The twin’s Cerebral Palsy presents in different ways.  River has more spasticity in his movements, meaning his muscles are stiff and can cause awkward actions, as well as dyskinesia which means the movement can be uncontrollable.  Zach had recently had surgery and was presenting with low tone and less movement.

Their parents had come across a sample of a DMO® Custom Suit during a Physio Intensive course in Sydney Australia.  They liked the feel of the product and thought the zips would be really helpful when putting them on and taking off, especially with two little ones.

The custom-made suits that DM Orthotics created were prescribed individually to benefit the two different Cerebral Palsy presentations.  With River’s suit the focus was hip and pelvis control with panelling and extensions to the shoulder to help with his stepping.  Zach’s was for low tone and movement and was a minimal prescription due to his recent surgery.

The suit slowed down River’s movements and improved his stepping and confidence with walking whereas with Zach his core stability was improved allowing him to take more steps.

The boys were also rather taken by the special superhero cape styling of the design they choose.

Jess said,

“We are hoping these suits will be a real game changer for us.  Helping our boys to continue to learn and play with more ease and have more support to develop their fine and gross motor skills.”

You can find out more about Zach and River’s journey at:
www.youtube.com/ordinaryextraordinary