About ThermoSpas Seasons of Giving Miranda
| Miranda |
Miranda and family gather around their new ThermoSpa hot tub. 
Miranda enjoys a different type of water therapy with a dolphin! 
Miranda gives the dolphin a kiss! Miranda, A Local Sweetheart with Traumatic Brain Injury has Her Wish Come True Just in Time for Valentine's DayWHO: Miranda, a 14-year-old girl from Hebron, KY who suffers from traumatic brain injury and seizure disorder as a result of a traumatic car accident when she was two. WHAT: When Miranda first floated in a hot tub, she was hooked immediately. The 14-year-old is in almost constant pain and had never felt such ease of movement before. Thanks to ThermoSpas, now Miranda will be able to experience that freedom right in her own home. WHY: On October 3, 1995, the car Miranda and her mother were in was hit by a truck. As a result, Miranda went into a coma instantly and was on life support with 100% oxygen. The doctors told her parents there was no chance she would make it. Fortunately they were wrong and today Miranda is alive, but still dealing with the painful repercussions of that tragic day. “Miranda is a miracle. She needs another miracle in her life again,” said Miranda’s mother in a letter to the Seasons of Giving program, “Her body is so rigid she cannot control it at all. She gets very frustrated and cries. Miranda is very brave. Please help us help our little girl.” Not only does a hot tub provide Miranda with a chance to move and play freely on her own, but it also offers proven therapy:
Miranda has undergone numerous surgeries (21 thus far) for orthopedic problems and to help alleviate the spasity that causes her muscles to painfully contract. “Miranda needs hydrotherapy and that would best be provided by a five person hot tub to have room for therapists to provide treatment,” said her doctor, Ebru Gultekin, M.D., “This equipment is a necessity for her and not an extravagance. It would deliver the timeliest and most effective treatment for Miranda.” Through the Seasons of Giving donation program, ThermoSpas donated The Healing Spa™, the first hot tub to be designed with the Arthritis Foundation specifically for people with muscle and joint pain. It features a special child seat, 69 therapy jets and easy-to-use knobs and handrails. "The ThermoSpa has been amazing for Miranda. It has helped so much with her mobility. She has been able to use her walker much more to get around. In fact, four days, ago she took nine steps without her walker! She hasn't been able to do that in years. Last week, she climbed out of her bed on her own. You can't imagine how big these steps are for her! Her therapist stretches her before she gets in the spa, while in the spa and then afterwards. He says the difference after is incredible. Her range of motion increases and she can do much more. We use the spa a lot in the evenings and it relaxes Miranda so much she often falls asleep. Her spasticity causes so much pain and the warm water just massages it out of her. Miranda just loves using the spa and looks forward to using it everyday. She doesn't think of it as therapy, just plain fun. This program is amazing and we are so grateful to have received a spa from ThermoSpas. Thank you and keep up the good work!" Melissa B. |
