“Sam was born 5 weeks premature,” his mother, Barbara recounts. “The impact this would have on his future development was completely unclear. We were told that we just had to ‘wait and see’.”

Sam progressed typically during his infancy, but at 5 months as his right hand became more capable, the difference between the use of his hands became pronounced.

“His left arm would just hang behind his back. It’s like he didn’t even know that he had it,” Barbara says. “After stressing these concerns to his pediatrician, we were referred to a neurologist who upon meeting Sam, immediately diagnosed him with left-hemiparesis cerebral palsy. A subsequent MRI indicated that it appeared that Sam had a stroke while he was in utero. Although, having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the impact was unknown and would only be seen as Sam developed.