Westlake teen starts foundation to help others with cerebral palsy

Alyssa Phillips reached across the dining room table. Forehead wrinkled in concentration, she clutched a single piece of paper and stuffed it into a blue folder.

Her body twisted slightly in the chair, and her arms jerked forward. Alyssa is 17 years old and has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that causes muscles in her face and body to spasm.

“I can do everything that everyone else can do,” Alyssa explained, her voice halting. “It just might look different for me.”

She and her parents started the Alyssa V. Phillips Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to increase awareness of cerebral palsy but also help people with the condition lead more independent, healthier lives. On Sept. 22, the organization will participate in North Texas Giving Day, an online event in which area charities collect millions in donations.

Launched in 2012, the nonprofit has given thousands of dollars in grants to help with physical therapy, vehicle modifications and special equipment. This month the group hosted its second conference for patients, family members and caregivers. More than 150 people attended the two-day event in Grapevine.

Alyssa’s mother, Michelle, said the foundation aims to provide families with resources that can be difficult and time-consuming to track down.

She said she spent long evenings scouring the web for physicians, therapy, schools and more after Alyssa was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 2. Her parents had grown concerned when Alyssa was 9 months and not sitting up by herself. By 1 year, she was not crawling.

“You spend every spare moment searching online for answers and going to doctor’s appointments, consultations, therapies and procedures,” she said. “It can feel like a maze.”

Alyssa has received Botox injections in her leg muscles and undergone many procedures to stretch and lengthen tendons and muscles to reduce spasticity.

Although she began walking by herself at age 5, she uses a mobility scooter or motorized wheelchair to conserve energy on long trips.

Even from a young age, Alyssa has been her own advocate, said her father, Paul H. Phillips III. In 4th grade, he recalled, Alyssa created a poster board to teach her classmates about cerebral palsy, then asked to present her project to the rest of the class.

“She has always been a huge advocate,” her father said. “People will wonder about her ability, and she shows time and again that she not only has ability but a tremendous drive.”

Alyssa is a student at Fusion Academy in Southlake, which stresses one-on-one interaction between teachers and students, improving fine motor skills and unearthing a passion.

For Alyssa, art has been important. On a recent afternoon, she showed off her oil painting of a beloved late horse named Jack. The painting took more than two months to complete.

“It was really, really hard to do,” she said. “But it was fun.”

Alyssa is now considering her post-high school plans and weighing a career as a teacher or artist, in addition to her work with the foundation. Her mother said they want others with cerebral palsy to have the same choices.

“Cerebral palsy does not define Alyssa or anyone else,” she said. “People with cerebral palsy are capable of anything they choose. That’s what we want people to understand.”

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 6:05 AM with the headline "Westlake teen starts foundation to help others with cerebral palsy."