HIGH LIFE: A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Therapy’s an Education : Student Aiding 2 Cerebral Palsy Patients Has Learned About the Illness--and Commitment

If anyone had told Kelly Wright three years ago that she would be spending her free time during her senior year working with adolescent twins with cerebral palsy, she would have laughed at the idea.

“I never would have considered doing this my freshman year,” Wright said. “I would have been like, ‘No, sorry, that would cut into my nap time.’ ”

Now, though, Wright relishes the time she spends after school with Mike and Bill Kaszycki of Rossmoor, helping them with their homework and doing physical therapy exercises with Mike. In addition to sacrificing some extra sleep, Wright, a senior at Los Alamitos High School, has given up some extracurricular activities, such as the varsity swim team, to devote more time to the 14-year-old twins. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“When I first went over and met them, I fell in love,” Wright said of her charges, who attend McAuliffe Middle School in Los Alamitos.

As an active athlete since childhood, Wright, 18, had planned to go into sports medicine, working with college athletes.

But then her advanced placement biology teacher, Debra White, directed her to the job last year with the Kaszyckis.

Wright said that at the time, “I had no idea what cerebral palsy was. Miss White kept saying, ‘CP, CP, the twins have CP,’ and I was like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I figured it would be a great opportunity to serve other people and earn some money, but I had no idea what CP was.”

Wright soon learned about the condition from Becky Kaszycki, the boys’ mother. Cerebral palsy is a disorder in which brain damage impairs muscle control, coordination and often speech and hearing. Mike has limited muscle and speech control and spends most of his time in a wheelchair, and Bill suffers from a slight limp.

Wright learned how to take Mike from his chair and do the range of motion exercises designed to improve muscle control and ward off atrophy.

“He’s so fragile,” Wright said. “I was really nervous the first time I did it; I was afraid I was going to break him or something. After the first time, though, I got a feel for it. But sometimes it scares me, like when I’m bringing his leg up and his back cracks.”

Wright educates whomever she can about cerebral palsy. “That’s a big part of my job and his mom’s job,” Wright said. “It’s important to inform everyone about cerebral palsy. Although Mike is hard to understand, he’s intelligent, and a lot of people don’t understand that. Being in seventh grade, he is teased and stared at, so it’s important that he develops a sense of self-worth.”

It is this caring personality that landed Wright the job and impressed Becky Kaszycki. “Kelly is really eager, really up and bubbly. That’s the type of personality you want for your children. And the exercises aren’t real difficult. Anyone can learn the range of motions.”

But Wright has learned far more than the basic techniques of physical therapy. “I was surprised how emotionally equipped they are,” she said of the twins. “They’ve had to deal with a lot that other kids haven’t, and it prepares them for life. Mike knows how people are feeling, and he can read faces really well.”

Wright said it doesn’t bother her that her peers may be earning more at office, delivery or other types of jobs. Hers has other rewards, she said.

“The other day, Mike got really excited about something we were working on, then he got really frustrated. I asked him what was wrong. He said, ‘I want to get out of my chair and hug you.’ ”

A bond has formed between the two, which will make it all the harder when Wright has to give up her duties next month. She will be participating in a missionary program with her church, Grace Brethren in Cypress, and will go to Guatemala and El Salvador before starting college at UC Davis in the fall.

“Leaving Mike is going to be so hard,” Wright said. “He knows I’m going to be leaving and sometimes he gets so sad. He’s gotten really attached to me and I’ve gotten really attached to him.”

Becky Kaszycki is working on getting another person, preferably a high school student, to take over Wright’s duties.

Until then, however, Wright will devote as much time as possible to the twins. She recently helped Mike at his birthday party and takes him to church services with her.

The time Wright has spent with the Kaszyckis has altered her goals. “Now I want to pursue working with the handicapped,” she said. “They have a totally different perspective on life. They don’t take anything for granted.”