Your support provides rehabilitation services to children from all over the United States.

Donate now

Month: August 2022

Thirty-One Days of SMA

By‎: TELETONUSA /

In August, we honor Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) awareness month. SMA is a genetic, progressive disease that attacks and destroys lower motor neurons or nerve cells that travel from the brain to the muscles. Lower motor neurons are the neurons that control breathing, crawling, walking, and swallowing, as well as head and neck strength. Once SMA attacks the lower motor neurons, the ability to control muscle movement is lost.

Five types of SMA:

  • Type 0: appears as decreased fetal movement before birth; very rare and very severe
  • Type 1: appears at birth or shortly after that; common and severe
  • Type 2: appears between 6 and 12 months of age; common
  • Type 3: develops between ages 2 and 17 years; common
  • Type 4: occurs mainly in adults between 30-50 years of age; very rare

Chromosome 5, or SMN1, is the gene that creates the protein that keeps the lower motor neurons healthy. However, a mutation to this gene causes SMA to develop. A decrease in the SMN1 protein causes the lower motor neurons to lose strength and decrease muscle activation or movement, primarily affecting the trunk, arms, and legs most severely. At the Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT), children with SMA receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation services. With a generous contribution, you can help make a difference in the lives of many of our kids. Please consider donating today by clicking here.

TeletonUSA on National Nonprofit Day

By‎: TELETONUSA /

On August 17th, we celebrate National Nonprofit Day in the United States to reflect on our contributions to our communities.

This 2022, celebrating this date has a special meaning for the TeletonUSA Foundation since we are celebrating our tenth anniversary. They have been ten years of significant challenges but, above all, ten years of great joy that would not be possible without the supportive unity of the people who, year after year, join us with a donation to our cause.

Today we want to celebrate this milestone by telling you a little about our history, our present, and what we expect for the years to come.

Love and Science in the Service of Life

TeletonUSA Foundation emerged with a clear mission: to raise funds and awareness to create a more inclusive world for children and youth with disabilities. In 2014, after two years of fundraising, we made this possible when the Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT) opened its doors in San Antonio, Texas. A place that has become home to hundreds of families with a mission to serve children and youth ages 0-18 with neurological, muscular, and skeletal disabilities in the United States through a comprehensive, compassionate, state-of-the-art rehabilitation program focused on family treatment and inclusion.

The CRIT model of care is focused on four pillars to achieve maximum well-being:

  • Physical
  • Psychological
  • Social
  • Spiritual

Since CRIT’s opening, we have provided more than 182,000 services to families from 45 states. People with cerebral palsy or brain damage, neuromuscular diseases, spinal cord injury, skeletal disorders, congenital and genetic diseases, and developmental delay, among others, have been treated.

At CRIT, we provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Hydrotherapy services, sensory integration, assistive technology, augmentative communication activities, training for using motorized wheelchairs, and diagnostic tests for autism are some of our many services.

More than 1,600 families are waiting to receive the rehabilitation services that our facility in San Antonio, Texas, offers. We need your support so that more children, youth, and their families can be cared for and achieve their inclusion in society. We invite you to make a donation and help us make their dreams come true and their goals achieved. Click here and start making a difference.

On this important day, we thank you for being part of TeletonUSA. With your support and generosity, we are excited to think about all we will experience in the next ten years.

For more information on CRIT rehabilitation services, click here.

The Effects of Anoxic Brain Injuries

By‎: TELETONUSA /

Sometimes, the smallest incidents have the most significant impact on our lives. For little Ikem, swallowing a grape whole changed his and his family’s lives forever.

It was an ordinary afternoon when Ikem went to the fridge to grab a snack. He grabbed some grapes and put one grape in his mouth, took a step, and quickly grabbed his throat. His mouth started turning purple.

His family rushed him to the hospital only a few minutes away. When they arrived, the doctors and nurses frantically brought all kinds of machines to save the little boy.

After a week in the intensive care unit, the doctor said, “Your boy opened his eyes, but he is not reacting as we hoped. There is no activity in his brain.”

An anoxic brain injury caused the lack of brain activity; this occurs when oxygen levels are dangerously low for four minutes or longer. It took Ikem’s family five minutes to get to the hospital.

Types of Anoxic Brain Injuries

There are four types of anoxic brain injuries. Each can cause significant brain trauma and result in loss of speech, movement, and cognitive processing. After Ikem suffered an anoxic brain injury, he could not express his feelings or thoughts, could not move his limbs, and had trouble holding his head up.

  1. Anemic anoxia: Occurs when blood does not carry enough oxygen to the brain. Some forms of lung disease can cause low blood oxygen levels because the lungs cannot process oxygen properly. The brain will not receive enough oxygen to perform vital functions despite normal blood flow. Chronic anemia, acute hemorrhage, and carbon monoxide poisoning can also cause anemic anoxia.
  2. Toxic anoxia: Occurs when toxins prevent efficient blood oxygen use. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a common cause of toxic anoxia.
  3. Stagnant anoxia: Occurs when a specific condition blocks oxygen-rich blood from reaching the brain. Strokes, cardiac arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest can all cause stagnant anoxia.
  4. Anoxic anoxia: Occurs when there isn’t enough oxygen in the air. Most often, this occurs at extremely high altitudes.

Symptoms of Anoxic Brain Injuries

A mild anoxic brain injury can result in problems with concentration, coordination, and short-term memory. Patients may experience headaches, light-headedness, shortness of breath, and increased perspiration.

A severe anoxic brain injury, like Ikem’s, can result in a coma or vegetative state. In a vegetative state, a patient may be able to breathe, maintain a heartbeat, blink, digest food, and urinate without assistance. A severe anoxic brain injury might occasionally cause a patient to transition between a coma and a vegetative state.

Treatment for Anoxic Brain Injuries

Treatment for anoxic brain injuries almost always involves medical rehabilitation. Many patients will work to re-learn how to communicate, move their limbs, walk, and perform essential daily functions.

Ikem’s family sought rehabilitation at CRIT, where he has grown stronger. With the help of the Lokomat (the world‘s leading robotic medical device that provides highly repetitive and the most physiological gait training), he learned how to walk independently. With the help of CRIT therapists, Ikem is learning how to become independent again.

Find Care at the Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA

The Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering comprehensive rehabilitation services for children with neurological, muscular, and skeletal disabilities. Contact us today to learn how we can help your child live a healthy and happy life after a brain injury.

Defying Disability: Meet Moi, an Unstoppable Athlete Recognized Nationwide

By‎: TELETONUSA /

Moi’s parents never imagined their son would lose the ability to walk. When he was very young, Moi was in an accident that led to a spinal cord injury. His doctors said he would never walk again, so his parents decided to move to San Antonio so that he could be cared for at the Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT). It was here that Moi began to get stronger and where he made tremendous progress with his mobility and independence.

Moi’s therapy has given him boundless self-confidence, which he exudes with passion as he participates in sports. Now 11 years old, Moi has participated in 13 marathons, winning 13 national medals. His basketball coach gave him the nickname Pac-Man because, like the video game character, Moi is tireless and keeps going after the ball. “The sky is the limit for Moi,” says his mother, Elisa, her voice beaming with pride and happiness. 

After feeling lost and helpless, Moi’s family found a place that opened up a world of possibility. At CRIT, they not only have access to the latest physical therapy for their son but also to transformational counseling, which provides them with diverse resources. Moi’s family is very grateful and says that their life improved because of CRIT. His mother tells us that CRIT helped the family discover that a disability may require specific lifestyle changes. Still, it does not stop them from enjoying each day to the fullest!

Watch Moi’s story here.

From Your CRIT Counselor: Forgiveness

By‎: TELETONUSA /

“In order to heal, we must first forgive, and sometimes the person we must forgive is ourselves.” – Mila Brown 

Forgiveness, in general, can be difficult. It depends on us, the person who hurt us, and what was done. The deeper the wound, the harder it is to forgive, especially if it came from someone we love and trust. 

At the end of the day, the person we hurt the most by not forgiving is ourselves. The other person probably continues to live as normal as possible and may not even be aware of how much their actions hurt us. We hold on to that hurt, reliving the pain each time we think of that person and what they have done. It is like adding salt to a wound. Holding grudges and resentment can make us angry, bitter, and physically sick.

Forgiving ourselves is sometimes difficult because we think we should have known better. We become upset for trusting someone we knew we shouldn’t. Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness as it requires strength. When it comes to forgiving ourselves, it also requires compassion. Many of us are harder on ourselves than we are on others. We are our own worst critics.

Today, I encourage you to be compassionate with yourself and offer self-forgiveness. Let go of those burdens that hold you down. I read a quote recently, “When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.” I do not know the author, but I agree with the quote. You may have made a wrong choice, but you probably decided based on what you knew at the time. You cannot blame yourself for not knowing what you did not know. Accept, forgive and move on, ready to embrace the present moment. You cannot change the past, but you can change the present and future through forgiveness.

Join our Newsletter‎‎