Video: Water therapy helps kids on the go
Here, Andrew Longwell is like any other kid.
He plays in the YMCA pool, holding onto a colorful "noodle" as he swims. He kicks his legs gently as he floats on his back, his hands pushing the water aside as he works his way to the pool's other end.
He turns forward, his arms slicing through the clear, warm water, his legs kicking softly behind him.
His blue-rimmed goggles, which cover half his face, let him see under water. He huffs and puffs occasionally, either laughing or grunting, depending on what his physical therapist tells him to do.
Barbara Flender Abittan, his therapist, jokes she can get tough by not cutting her students any slack.
Her approach paid off for Andrew. When he started aquatic therapy at the Northwest YMCA in Greece last September, he needed help getting in and out of the pool. Now, he can use a special lift to lower and raise himself.
Andrew, 10, has muscular dystrophy, which is a degenerative disease that weakens the muscles. Diagnosed when he was 6, Andrew, who goes to Pine Brook Elementary, lost the ability to walk in May. But here, in the pool, he's like everyone else, his therapist says.
Here, his body has no limits.
"There's things he can't do on land that he can do in the water," Abittan said.
On his sixth birthday, little Andrew went in for some medical tests. A few days later the family learned he had the disease.
When she heard the words, his grandmother, Marlene Fumia, never thought she'd see her grandson move like he can when he's in the pool. He goes from "confinement to freedom."
"It's joyful," she said, watching Andrew glide along.
<object width="425" height="355">
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<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />width="425" height="355" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8u5ri-aM42srel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object> It's more than a physical reprieve from the disease, though. It's a mental one, too, said Abittan and fellow physical therapist Susan Griffen. Andrew sometimes sees kids from his school, so he gets to bond with peers. And he's not surrounded by medical equipment. The only sign of his disease is the wheelchair parked nearby. "They are not handicapped in the pool," Abittan said. Her other client is Wyatt Moore, 18, who goes to Greece Athena. "What Wyatt can do - it's utterly amazing and so impressive," Griffen said. Moore announced he did 10 laps in his session. "I've pretty much stayed the same (with progress), except I used to need a life preserver and now I don't," he said proudly. The program, open to Greece Central students, is only being used right now by Moore and Andrew, but the therapists hope to open it up to more students. They previously traveled to pools outside of Greece and approached the YMCA last year, and the organization offered up pool space. To qualify for aquatic therapy, the patient must prove all other therapies aren't working, Griffen said. Back in the pool, Andrew holds on to the steps, stretching out his legs behind him. When his session ends, Andrew sits in the chair lift and gently pulls on the bar to raise himself up. He slowly swings his left leg over and holds on to his wheelchair as he slides closer to it. Griffen is on his left side, Abittan on his right, but they don't help. Instead, they watch him as they talk, standing nearby just in case they're needed, but letting Andrew help himself. After a few minutes, he hoists himself into his chair. He rests for maybe a second before tossing his goggles onto the floor. Then he whips his chair around and looks for his grandmother, who's across the room. He makes eye contact with her and zooms toward the locker room. He's ready to go. His grandmother has to keep up with him this time. <em> Colleen M. Farrell can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 265, or at cfarrell@mpnewspapers.com.