Nathan who was born 5 weeks early, along with his twin sister, via emergency c-section was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy just after his first birthday. It was a day that rocked us to the core, but a day where we began a journey that has forever changed us – for the better.

As we watched his sister meet every milestone, we saw Nathan falling farther and farther behind. Sitting was difficult, rolling was a challenge, crawling was arduous, standing and walking were impossible. We had no idea what his future would look like and had no way of knowing what to prepare for as he grew up. All we knew for certain was he would have a lifetime of physical pain and countless surgeries to combat the strain that cerebral palsy was putting on his body.

It wasn’t until we learned of a procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) that we begin to catch a glimmer of hope (and relief) for our sweet little boy’s future. We set up a support campaign for Nathan with the title “All Aboard for Nathan” because of his incredible love of trains and then prepared for his life-altering procedure.

One day after his 5th birthday we drove from our home in North Carolina to Nationwide Children’s where would put Nathan in the hands of brilliant neurosurgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Leonard, to undergo SDR. The surgery was “everything [he] expected with no anatomical anomalies to overcome” which, to us, was a relief.

Our four week “home for the holidays” was spent watching Nathan discover how to maneuver a “new” body free from the restrictions of spasticity. It was difficult, yet rewarding; tearful, yet full of joy!

Leaving Nationwide Children’s was so emotional for us, but we were excited for our new adventure with Nathan. Through the guidance of the incredible rehab team, we were equipped with tools to help Nathan grow stronger and more functional and we were ready to watch him soar.

That was over 2 years ago and, today, Nathan is a thriving 1st grader who loves school, playing adaptive soccer, riding horses, swimming, creating train layouts, and riding roller coasters at Disney World. He is working hard on his walking and is growing stronger each and every day.

We are so grateful for our Nationwide family and always look forward to his annual follow up visits where he can show off his progress and learn new ways to make his life better!

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• Name: Nathan R.Nathan Radoll
• Condition(s): Spastic Quadriplegic
• Age at Treatment: 5 years
• Age Today: 12/20/201013 Years

Nathan who was born 5 weeks early, along with his twin sister, via emergency c-section was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy just after his first birthday. It was a day that rocked us to the core, but a day where we began a journey that has forever changed us – for the better.

As we watched his sister meet every milestone, we saw Nathan falling farther and farther behind. Sitting was difficult, rolling was a challenge, crawling was arduous, standing and walking were impossible. We had no idea what his future would look like and had no way of knowing what to prepare for as he grew up. All we knew for certain was he would have a lifetime of physical pain and countless surgeries to combat the strain that cerebral palsy was putting on his body.

It wasn’t until we learned of a procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) that we begin to catch a glimmer of hope (and relief) for our sweet little boy’s future. We set up a support campaign for Nathan with the title “All Aboard for Nathan” because of his incredible love of trains and then prepared for his life-altering procedure.

One day after his 5th birthday we drove from our home in North Carolina to Nationwide Children’s where would put Nathan in the hands of brilliant neurosurgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Leonard, to undergo SDR. The surgery was “everything [he] expected with no anatomical anomalies to overcome” which, to us, was a relief.

Our four week “home for the holidays” was spent watching Nathan discover how to maneuver a “new” body free from the restrictions of spasticity. It was difficult, yet rewarding; tearful, yet full of joy!

Leaving Nationwide Children’s was so emotional for us, but we were excited for our new adventure with Nathan. Through the guidance of the incredible rehab team, we were equipped with tools to help Nathan grow stronger and more functional and we were ready to watch him soar.

That was over 2 years ago and, today, Nathan is a thriving 1st grader who loves school, playing adaptive soccer, riding horses, swimming, creating train layouts, and riding roller coasters at Disney World. He is working hard on his walking and is growing stronger each and every day.

We are so grateful for our Nationwide family and always look forward to his annual follow up visits where he can show off his progress and learn new ways to make his life better!