Pediatric aquatic therapy is critical

For more than a decade, I have worked with disabled and mobility-impaired clients of all ages who have relied on the Mickelson therapy pool to maintain and improve their quality of lives.

Lindsay Raike’s op-ed “Sutter Health’s ‘commitment to compassion?’” was excellent, but unfortunately it did not point out how serious this matter is for children with special needs.

Pediatric aquatic therapy helps disabled children with strength, range of motion/flexibility, balance, coordination, and endurance. The buoyancy of the water reduces body weight and allows children to move in ways they simply can’t on land. In the water, they can learn to walk without the fear of falling.

At Mickelson, I frequently witnessed a mobility-impaired non-verbal autistic child who out of the water was clumsy and struggled for balance. In the rehab pool, she moved freely and became interactive and engaged with the other patrons. It was a miraculous transformation which always brought a smile to my face. She swam around independently with great confidence. Her mother could barely keep up with her.

Many times, I saw the joy that the healing warm water brought to other children with disorders including autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome.

Why on earth should the parents of special needs children have to drive all the way to another county to get their children a needed therapeutic resource?

Shame on Sutter “Health.”

Xenia Sicat

Daly City