Kids make strides toward walking

ST. PETERSBURG - Six-year-old Rhylee Brown was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 15 months old. It's a condition that prevented her from walking independently.

She's struggled her whole life to walk.

Her mother says it is heartbreaking to hear her ask why other kids can walk and she can't

"You know, I get tears sometimes, says Rhylee's mother Dawn Brown.

A unique therapy at All Children's Hospital is changing all that for little Rhylee. It's called Therasuit therapy. Therapists say the soft canvas suit made up of bungee like cords is the key to Rhylee's success.

"She's gotten a lot stronger in her legs. She can go from sit to stand with just a little bit of help, and she's standing up against the wall by herself," says Rhylee's physical therapist Keri Clark.

Rhylee goes to the Therasuit therapy three hours a day, five days a week. The Therasuit allows her to work on her body awareness, balance and coordination.

"It's an intensive strengthening program that kind of helps the kids isolate the muscle to figure out what the muscle is and how it works," Clark said.

The special equipment is not only fun for Rhylee, it's helping her strengthen her muscles too.

"She's definitely finding the muscles to stay up taller. Our goal is for her is to stand by herself and to help her walk more with the canes, versus of the walker," Clark said.

The intensive therapy lasts three weeks. Everyday, Rhylee is one step closer to a dream that is no longer impossible.

"I would like to see her walk like you and I... just to have the most normal life that she can have because she is well deserving," Rhylee's mom says.