NEUROLOGY and
NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE
Neal
Diagnosed at birth,
cerebral palsy

Wheelchair does not stop patient from achieving his hoop dreams

Neal, 20, has relied on a wheelchair for mobility his entire life, but that did not stop him from lettering in basketball at a Houston area high school. A non-verbal quadriplegic who has cerebral palsy, Neal received the honor for his efforts as public relations manager for the girls basketball team.

Neal's basketball career began when the junior varsity girls basketball coach urged Neal’s father Larry to bring him to a game.

“Neal had never attended a high school sporting event prior to that first game,” he said. “The young ladies made him feel special. Starting that night, quality of life for Neal became defined as attending basketball games on Tuesday and Friday nights.”

Neal sits between the players’ bench and the cheerleaders and uses his Dynavox 3100 augmentative communication device to cheer for the team. Neal selects icons on the Dynavox and uses a head-switch to activate the device. Speakers transform his icons into audible words.

Neal enjoyed cheering the team to victory and shared in the girls’ disappointment when they lost. After a particularly disheartening defeat during the pre-district games in the 2001-2002 season, Neal wrote a motivational speech and gave it at the team's next practice. The speech was well-received, and the pre-season defeat was never mentioned again. He even handed out hard copies of the speech to each player, marked with a gold medal from Gold Medal flour packages.

“The girls have really embraced him and made him a part of what goes on,” his mother said. “They come to his birthday parties and have visited him in the hospital. And I think he has provided a great lesson in life for the kids on the team and all who attend the games.”

That life lesson was shared with the entire community recently. The high school's robotics class built a device that allowed Neal to operate a switch with his head to shoot a basketball during halftime at a Feb. 4 game.

“Everyone in the gym could hear the ‘swish’ as the ball went through the basket,” Neal’s father said. “The crowd erupted, and the excitement definitely could be seen on the smile on Neal’s face. The shot did not win or lose a game. However, it will be remembered by many.”

Neal recently was hospitalized at Texas Children’s, and he had a videotape of the game on hand to share with the nurses who cared for him. His positive attitude scored a slam dunk with the nursing staff.

Neal spent the first few weeks of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit at Texas Children’s Hospital and continues to receive care from Dr. Marvin Fishman, chief of neurology. Neal is alive because of the care he has received at Texas Children’s, his mother Kathy said.