Paul Robbin
A True Rock Star
Paul Robbin marches to the beat of a different drum. It’s a beat that has transformed the lives of his family, altered the perspectives of his friends, and given hope to others like him.
The five-year-old was born with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and severe deformities in his legs and feet. Doctors assured Paul’s mother Susan that her son would be permanently restricted to a wheelchair, that he may never be able to stand, and that surgery was hopeless.
But Susan Robbin refused to accept this prescribed fate for her child. She and her husband Josh sought out a therapist and orthopedic surgeon that would speak differently of their son’s future.
Paul endured several surgeries and intense therapies during the following months. But by his second birthday, he was crawling, standing with support, and displaying more potential than his doctor’s ever thought he would. To build upon the foundation of Paul’s accomplishments, he was referred to United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida. Susan Robbin also sent Paul’s twin brother Nate, a child without disabilities, to UCP.
As the tempo of the drumbeat increased, Paul marched toward successes with an exuberance never thought possible. At UCP, Paul received the therapy he needed and had the opportunity to interact with other children like him. He observed how they adjusted to life and how they used their wheelchairs and walkers to interact with their environment. But more importantly, Paul learned how kids without disabilities independently retrieved their own toys, how they asked for help less than he did, and how they interacted socially.
His mother says, “Paul began to journey leaps and bounds beyond what his doctors had originally said he could do... At UCP they expect him to try it himself first. They pushed him to do things on his own and to try and be independent. They’ve given him the self-confidence that he can try to do it.”
Being at UCP has also helped Paul’s twin brother Nate. He has learned to accept everyone despite their disparities and appreciate the inherent uniqueness of each person.
Susan says, “In his eyes now, everyone’s different.”
On May 26, 2006 Paul and Nate Robbin graduated from UCP. They will be placed in a regular kindergarten classroom this fall.
After 17 surgeries, 2.5 years of therapy at UCP, and countless words of encouragement and support from his family, teachers, and friends, Paul marched across the stage with a radiating smile of accomplishment smeared across his face. That same smile glowed from the face of a proud mother in the first row. Susan Robbin watched her son achieve his greatest success: Paul can walk.
Paul has always kept perspective on the reality that he is different from other kids. He maintains a bright and confident perspective on his condition. UCP and his family have taught him that this should be his view of the world.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
So whose drum does Paul march to? Is it that of his parents, UCP, his brothers? Perhaps, Paul Robbin, who actually aspires to be a percussionist in a rock n’ roll band, is his own drummer. A drummer who played an imaginary snare as he walked across the stage at his preschool graduation, a drummer whose epic beat inspires his family and friends, a drummer- who is different.More Success Stories
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