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The China Foundation for Disabled Persons (CFDP) is expanding its assistance to children with cerebral palsy (CP) by establishing a special "DeerKids" relief fund in Beijing on Friday.

"DeerKids" relief fund, which aims to specially fund children with cerebral palsy, is launched in Beijing on Friday. [Photo / Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn]

DeerKids plans to fund at least 20 poverty-stricken families with children suffering from the mental illness each year. Under these new guidelines, every such child will receive 4,000 yuan (US$654) every month to help with their medical expenses and living allowances.

The fund's initiator, Ms. Jia Li, said her daughter's recovery from CP has prompted her into launching the fund in alliance with CFDP so that "more poverty-stricken families with CP children to will feel the warmth of sunshine."

"A cerebral palsy child will cause the family [to pay] a medical bill between 3,000 and 7,000 yuan (US$494-1,153) each month, meaning at least 500,000 yuan (US$82,388) throughout the child lifetime - an extremely heavy financial burden for any normal family, let alone those struggling to make ends meet," said Jia, whose donation of 5 million yuan (US$823,723) will set the relief fund into motion.

Some 6 million people in China are suffering from CP, including 2 million aged between zero and two. This figure is set to increase by 40,000 to 50,000 each year, given CP's incidence rate of 5 in 1000, with around 10 million newborn babies each year.

Around 70 percent of people with CP in China have failed to treat the illness in its early stages and consequently missed out on the best rehabilitation opportunities, according to Ms. Fei Wei, deputy chairperson of CFDP.

Aside from financial assistance, DeerKids aims to promote a rehabilitation therapy measure, one that combines modern sports medicine and traditional Chinese medicine massage techniques. The therapy, established by Dr. Li Yuguang, is exempted from any surgical procedures or medication, yet consists of a 100 percent physical treatment.

Dr. Li has reportedly treated more than 1,000 patients, among whom more than 95 percent have effectively recovered. Jia's daughter was one of them.

"Rehabilitation for a CP child is a long process with the best treat opportunity starting from the sixth month after birth. If treated well and timely, some CP children are able to rehabilitate to healthy people," he said.

Many children suffering from CP do not show clear signs of the disease until much later, one reason why their parents often fail to get them proper treatment in a timely manner, said Dr. Li.

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