Life Can Change on a Dime

Nina Miller is the Development Director for Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation. As the mother of a child with CP who has benefited greatly from recent treatment breakthroughs, she is a powerful advocate for advancing critical CP research and bringing new treatment options to market.

We asked Nina about the impact that research into CP has had for her family.

“The day my daughter Josephine was born, I learned that life can change on a dime and thrust you into worlds you never considered exploring or even knew existed.

We knew within a short time of her birth that she had experienced a trauma that would likely result in some form of brain injury or cerebral palsy.

Luckily, I was raised in a household where science, research and exploration were the pillars of our value system and regarded as a means to live the best life today and shape a better tomorrow. For that reason, on the day of Josephine’s birth my father was already pointing me to the leaders in innovative research around cerebral palsy. I quickly became immersed in the most fascinating studies and fuelled by a hope for Josephine’s future that was grounded in empirical evidence, brought forth by brilliant minds.

Reading these studies lit a fire in my belly I’d never before felt, and I knew that if I could find a way to work in this field I would have realized my ultimate dream, to align my purest passion with my daily work. Working for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation not only puts me in direct contact with amazing science and top professionals in this field, but it also gives me the opportunity and responsibility to bring visibility to ground-breaking work that is improving treatments for CP while reducing the prevalence. Moreover, this critical research has broad application across many other conditions affecting our loved ones today. Knowing that my work efforts will touch my daughter’s life and millions of people living with CP today is a fuel that will carry me a great distance with joy and purpose.”