Carson is a bubbly, happy little 7-year-old boy who can be found swiftly zooming around in his wheelchair, complete with light up wheels. But when he was born, he wasn’t expected to live very long. His prognosis was extremely poor. Although his family hoped for the best, they were prepared for the worst.

Carson was born with an occipital encephalocele, which is a neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it through the openings in the skull. After Carson survived the first 4 days of his life, it was determined he’d be transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to have the encephalocele removed. That was the day Holly, his mom, says she will forever remember – the day their lives were changed for the better.

“His life had begun, surprising us all,” says Holly. “We would get to spend much of our time at doctor appointments and therapies. But we were ready for this journey.”

When Carson was 2, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. It was very scary for his family, but they were ready and took every challenge he encountered in stride, and never stopped loving him along the way.

After many years of therapy, bracing, casting and stretching, his family decided it was time for Carson to have Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Surgery to improve his spasticity, or muscle stiffness. Carson was 6 years old when he had his surgery in January 2017, and did wonderfully. He was admitted to the inpatient rehab unit at Nationwide Children’s for 3weeks where we provide comprehensive, family-centered, rehabilitative services to meet the physical, developmental, social, psychological and educational needs of Carson and his family.

Carson isn’t one to give up. He’s always ready for a challenge and willing to work hard, even when his therapy is extremely intense.

“Not knowing what to expect, we continued on this journey not knowing the results, but Carson having the surgery was another great decision. We still have much more therapy to do – but we are ready for that challenge! We truly feel blessed for him to have had this surgery and receive the excellent care and rehab at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. We greatly appreciate all they have done in helping us allow Carson to succeed in his journey,” says Holly.

Carson loves to play outside, ride his bike, hang out with his older brother and help his dad fix things. Watch for Carson and his contagious energy at the Nationwide Children’s Columbus Marathon &½ Marathon – his sense of humor will inevitably bring a smile to the face of everybody he meets

https://flutter.nationwidechildrens.org/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/4-ede9f44fbfc12d4ad796078917b471d6/2017/07/Found_CarsonRoof_Flutter_SS.JPG

• Name: Carson R.Carson Roof
• Condition(s): Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, occipital encephalocele
• Age at Treatment: 4 days
• Age Today: 03/12/201014 Years

Carson is a bubbly, happy little 7-year-old boy who can be found swiftly zooming around in his wheelchair, complete with light up wheels. But when he was born, he wasn’t expected to live very long. His prognosis was extremely poor. Although his family hoped for the best, they were prepared for the worst.

Carson was born with an occipital encephalocele, which is a neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it through the openings in the skull. After Carson survived the first 4 days of his life, it was determined he’d be transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to have the encephalocele removed. That was the day Holly, his mom, says she will forever remember – the day their lives were changed for the better.

“His life had begun, surprising us all,” says Holly. “We would get to spend much of our time at doctor appointments and therapies. But we were ready for this journey.”

When Carson was 2, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. It was very scary for his family, but they were ready and took every challenge he encountered in stride, and never stopped loving him along the way.

After many years of therapy, bracing, casting and stretching, his family decided it was time for Carson to have Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Surgery to improve his spasticity, or muscle stiffness. Carson was 6 years old when he had his surgery in January 2017, and did wonderfully. He was admitted to the inpatient rehab unit at Nationwide Children’s for 3weeks where we provide comprehensive, family-centered, rehabilitative services to meet the physical, developmental, social, psychological and educational needs of Carson and his family.

Carson isn’t one to give up. He’s always ready for a challenge and willing to work hard, even when his therapy is extremely intense.

“Not knowing what to expect, we continued on this journey not knowing the results, but Carson having the surgery was another great decision. We still have much more therapy to do – but we are ready for that challenge! We truly feel blessed for him to have had this surgery and receive the excellent care and rehab at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. We greatly appreciate all they have done in helping us allow Carson to succeed in his journey,” says Holly.

Carson loves to play outside, ride his bike, hang out with his older brother and help his dad fix things. Watch for Carson and his contagious energy at the Nationwide Children’s Columbus Marathon &½ Marathon – his sense of humor will inevitably bring a smile to the face of everybody he meets