MANSFIELD – Sailing the seven seas with a parrot sidekick and a chest full of treasure is all in a day’s work at OhioHealth Pediatric Therapy.
It’s all possible thanks to a custom-made pirate ship that aids in physical therapy for children who visit the 2011 W. Fourth Street location. Located in just one of the many entertaining rooms throughout the facility, the pirate ship is designed entirely as a therapy device.
“A lot of us that work here wanted some more climbing, more structures that encourage large motor movements and stuff like that,” said Kelly Kisling, a physical therapy assistant. “We thought the pirate would be a good theme.”
The pirate ship was added to OhioHealth Pediatric Therapy more than two years ago, thanks to a grant from the local Ronald McDonald House. The ship itself was built almost entirely by physical therapy assistant Trent Boeshart, while the room was painted by occupational therapist Julie Ball.
“It’s a lot cheaper when you can do it yourself,” added Ball with a laugh. “We were able to get the most bang for our buck.”
Every part of the pirate ship can be used as a therapy activity, from a peg board to climb that encourages upper-body strength to a draw bridge that helps kids with balance.
“There are a few kids that it’s challenging for and it’s kind of frightening or hard work for them, but they still find some enjoyment and we encourage them to gradually get higher,” Kisling said. “It’s also great for speech therapy because you get a lot of language when kids are active and pretending they’re pirates or hiding treasure.”
The pirate room is a favorite for two-year-old Coraline Young, who was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele, a birth defect in which a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly. Coraline’s mother, Teresa Young of Ashland, said she has been coming to OhioHealth Pediatric Therapy for a little more than a year.
“Basically (Coraline’s) spine did not fuse together, so her spinal cord was protruding out of her back covered by a sac of skin,” Young explained. “Because of that her nerves were exposed to amniotic fluid and such, creating the nerve damage.”
Because the spinal cord was protruding from Coraline’s back, the cord was not protected by her spine, Young said. The amniotic fluid touching those nerves is what creates damage. For Coraline, her lesion was T12 – a higher spot on the spine, meaning more expected nerve damage.
Doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital performed fetal surgery on Coraline while Young was 24 weeks pregnant. Later, Coraline was born on Aug. 25, 2014.
“They put everything back where it was supposed to go, then sealed us back up and hoped for the best,” Young said. “With the surgery we think she gained quite a few levels because they were able to close it soon, so she’s acting like an L4 or L5.”
Despite the surgeries, Coraline still has lessened feeling from her stomach down to her toes. Any child born with spina bifida also has bowel and bladder issues because of the lowest nerves in the back affected.
Throughout her physical, occupational and speech therapy with both Kisling and Ball, Coraline has since learned to sit up on her own, army crawl and even crawl on all fours, a huge step for children with spina bifida.
“The fact that she’s doing that is huge,” Kisling said. “That shows us there’s leg strength we can work on, so we’re working a lot more on standing and walking. We want to get here to the point where she can walk with some kind of assistive device.”
Coraline’s progress means everything to Young, who said Coraline is always excited to see Kisling and Ball.
“I look forward to coming here because she’s enjoyed it, and it’s done so much for her,” Young said. “She’s our sunshine we call her, because she’s always so happy and always smiling. She’s so sweet.”
Happy smiles are a common occurrence in the pirate room, said Kisling. The playful theme motivates both kids and therapists.
“They all love it and love to be in here,” she said. “And when we’re stuck in the gym or something isn’t working, we’ve got the pirate room. We need it just as much as the kids, a change of scenery and a little inspiration.”
