Board Member and Patient Starts Virtual Fundraiser to Honor her Late Twin Sister
Elena, an adult with cerebral palsy has been a patient of the CP Center since its creation, and is a current board member. She honors her late twin sister Elizabeth with an online fundraiser for the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center. The funds raised will go to supporting people with CP in having a platform to speak, tell their story, share their expereinces, and empower younger generations to do the same for themselves. It will also be a way to give hope to parents of children with disabilities.
"I have been a patient of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at CUMC since the age of 3. At the time of the inception of the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center (which is housed in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery), our care was transitioned. Elizabeth was my angel on earth. She taught me empathy as well as compassion for others and myself. Despite her inability to communicate in "a traditional way", she was able to express her needs and feelings through touch, facial expressions, vocalizations, kisses and movement of certain body parts."
February 5, 2021 was the second anniversary of Elizabeth leaving the physical world.
"Elizabeth is the reason that I have been able to come to a place of self-acceptance and my experiences with her allowed me to realize my passion for advocating for people with disabilities i.e. Cerebral Palsy. The WFCPC has not only cared for us and our medical needs but, has also given me a platform to use my experiences and expertise to help others," said Elena.
Why did you give to the Weinberg Family CP Center this year?
In honor of my sister I wanted to raise funds that support and will help continue community initiatives and allow us to compensate patients, guest bloggers, speakers, etc.. fairly for work they do on behalf of the Center, as we continually strive to compensate those who use their voice to lift up and advocate for the disability community fairly and equitably.
Please consider sharing this page with your network so that we can continue to empower and support persons with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities, showing that we are valued and productive members of society and I thank you for your support.
For questions or to launch your own fundraising campaign to support the Weinberg Center, contact Jamie Montgomery in the Office of Development at (212) 342-1580 or jamie.montgomery@columbia.edu.