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The Hopper Family story

Determination, dedication and courage

By the time she was four years old, Bridget Hopper was very well travelled. Bridget, who lives in Melbourne, has been to Germany and Cyprus, and has visited Sydney several times. However, Bridget's international experience has come not through her parents' wanderlust - rather through their desire to help find treatment for their daughter's Cerebral Palsy.

Bridget and her twin Sarah were born at 27 weeks' gestation. "We knew within the first week that something wasn't right with Bridget," says Clint, the twins' Dad. Clint, a builder with his own business, and his wife Bernadette started researching CP straight away.

The twins were given a 40 percent chance of survival. Doctors predicted that Bridget's moderate to severe condition would mean that she could one day complete activities such as catching a bus by herself, but little more.

When she was 15 months old, Bridget started receiving treatment from a Scope physiotherapist. Seven months later, Clint took Bridget to a clinic in Munich, Germany, to undergo a course of intensive Vojta Therapy. Back in Australia, Clint and Bernadette continued treating Bridget themselves. "We were recommended to give her three treatments a day, but we were giving her five or six… I hardly saw Sarah for the first 12 months," says Clint.

Clint and Bernadette's dedication has shown significant results. Bridget, Sarah and their other brother Brycen play, argue and laugh together, just like children in any other family. Bridget's fine motor skills and muscle control are so developed that she can thread a hair through a tiny loop - or play with her dolls, take piano lessons and craft classes, and ride her special bike. All three children attend the same primary school. However, it's hard for Bridget to see Sarah heading off for her dancing classes alone, as Bridget still needs a wheelchair and can only walk using a walking frame.

From Scope, Bridget receives ongoing occuapational therapy and physiotherapy treatments. Ideally, physiotherapy sessions should be three times a week but, at $60 per session, that's not possible. The Hoppers have already spent in excess of $100,000 on Bridget's treatment and equipment, and they face continued steep funding requirements. Clint, who has been actively involved in Scope, explains: "Maybe we get funding for one standing frame for home, but then we need one for school as well." It's the same for Bridget's walking frame, wheelchair and desk.

Although there have been some difficult, frustrating and emotionally exhausting times for Bridget's parents, they are determined to continue with treatment for their daughter. As Clint says: "We want to see a reasonable quality of life for Bridget."