Jan Brunstrom doesn’t just treat patients with cerebral palsy — the physician has the condition herself. And her unique ability to relate is drawing patients from as far away as Europe.
Brunstrom, who practices at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, sees upwards of 2,000 kids with the neurological disorder a year who come from across the country and beyond.
As a youngster, doctors told Brunstrom’s parents that she had little chance at life, so she knows better than most the challenges that children with cerebral palsy face. With her patients, Brunstrom emphasizes the positive and always encourages them to achieve more, asking why a child is not running, for example, rather than assuming they can’t.
More than that, however, she serves as a role model for her young patients, parents say.
“She understands the needs of the kids,” one mom told KSDK, the NBC affiliate in St. Louis. To read more click here.
It is understandable that so many patients with cerebral palsy would want to receive treatment from a doctor with the same condition. As you point out, Dr. Brunstrom has unique insight into the challenges faced by her patients. The fact that Dr. Brustrom has achieved her position despite her condition is remarkable, and she is likely to make significant contributions in the field of cerebral palsy.