Patient celebrates 31st Birthday with CP Center Fundraiser
Greg, an adult with cerebral palsy, is a writer and musicologist in NYC. For his 31st birthday this year he decided to give to the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center. He was one of the first to try out the new online fundraising platform.
"I have been a patient of Columbia for as long as I can remember. I used to see Dr. Roye and now I see Dr. Kim and Dr. Selber. For the past three years, I’ve been a regular member of the Weinberg Center support group led by Jan Moskowitz, LCSW, and I just joined the Patient Family Advisory Counsel (PFAC) in the spring of 2021," said Greg. "One of the first things I learned about CP as a young adult, is that after adolescence, the medical literature ends. For this and many other reasons, you need to have a network of medical professionals and other CP patients to help you navigate adult life with CP and all of its physical, psychological and emotional complexity. This is where the Weinberg Center is an invaluable resource."
Why give to the CP Center?
I give to the CP Center because, while I’ve been very fortunate to grow up in a loving supportive environment that is also economically stable, I haven’t had that much opportunity to meet people my age who also have CP. While I’ve been blessed to have close friends, there’s still things about life and aging with CP that non-disabled people might find difficult to understand, despite their best intentions. The Weinberg Center has been a great resource to me, through them I’ve been able to connect with a group of intelligent, funny and driven adults like me, who also just happen to have CP.
Why did you raise money for the CP Center for your birthday this year?
Over these past two to three years, the Weinberg Center has become such an important part of my life as an adult with CP that I just wanted to give back to show my appreciation and gratitude. The Center is just starting to set up digital fundraising campaigns, and it might be confusing at first, however the staff is very knowledgeable and is willing to assist you with setting up a fundraiser. So definitely do it!
In general, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Weinberg Center for their support in the past few years. I know that it sounds cliché, but I obviously couldn’t have gotten to this point in my mind without their help. It is my pleasure to give back to them whatever small way I can.
See Greg's fundraiser here. For questions please contact Jamie Montgomery in the Office of Development at (212) 342-1580 or jamie.montgomery@columbia.edu.