Vivian has been taking swim lessons at the Lansdale Area Family YMCA since she was a little over a year old. She will be turning four years old this February. “Vivian really loves the water and swimming. I’m glad I found the adaptive swim class at the Y”, says her mom Sara.
Vivian was getting too old for the parent/child Swim Starters classes. “Since she can’t walk independently, I wasn’t sure what class I could do next with her,” her mom continued. The North Penn YMCA offers adapted activities for youth of all ages including swimming, and fitness classes.
Vivian was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when she was 18 months old. One of the most common problems is mobility. While it is not a progressive disease, CP can affect muscle tone, movement, and motor skills.
Vivian recently started working with one of our new instructors, John, and they formed an instant bond. John has a passion that is infectious. Little Vivian began doing things with John that she had never done before. Her mom was thrilled. “She surprisingly took to him very quickly. She is usually pretty tentative and shy until she meets someone a few times.”
It’s a win-win situation with Vivian growing in skills and confidence in her swim lessons and John finding his niche as an instructor. “It’s been very rewarding to see Vivian’s progress in the water. Her trust in me and confidence in what she can accomplish is growing with each lesson. She is a remarkable young girl, and I am glad to be one of her instructors,” said John.
