Patient Spotlight: Tucker Salovaara
Meet Tucker Salovaara:
I was born and raised in New York City. I’m 27 years old and work part-time for a theater company called Breaking Through Barriers. My job duties are updating the website and social media platforms. In addition, I strive to make the content more accessible for everyone. An example of this is adding alt-text to each image for blind users to listen to the description with their screen readers. Besides working, I am a very outgoing guy who always tries to be more involved in the disabled community and other communities.
How did you find the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center (WFCPC):
I found this center when they were first starting this program. My beloved Dr. Roye, who saw me through my childhood wanted to start this program to enhance medicine for people with Cerebral Palsy. Even though I don’t have Cerebral Palsy, I fell in the category and Dr. Roye encouraged me to join the program because when I was 18 years old, he had to surgically rebuild my feet and he thought I would benefit from joining.
How has the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center impacted your care:
The center has impacted my care by helping me feel like I’m not alone and if I have a complicated health issue, I can trust that the team can solve it. Before this center, when you turned 21 years old, you are lost in the system. I feel like this support system is so crucial for people who have a lot of pain and other life-threatening health problems. Thankfully, knock on wood, I haven’t had any major health issues in regards to my orthopedic condition. However, I will always have this incredible system if I ever need it in the future.
What is one thing you would like people to know about the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center?
One thing that people should know about is that we are all in this together. This past year, I joined the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy support group and it has changed me to be more social in my community and it showed me that I’m not alone. Back when I was in high school, I thought I was in the best social bubble of my life, but when I graduated I had trouble finding a similar support system. When I first joined this support group, I was skeptical because I didn’t feel like it was helping me within the first couple months, but when I gave it a chance and fully opened up, something clicked and it felt like I was back in a supportive social bubble. That being said, I highly recommend anyone who has a similar disability to check out the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center. You never know unless you give it a shot!