— submitted || 6-year-old Anna Grace rides atop Chico during a therapeutic riding session at H.O.R.S.E.S. Inc. in Hardin. She has suffered from Cerebral Palsy since birth.

6-year-old Anna Grace struggles with Cerebral Palsy

By Misti Strader
Tribune-Courier News Editor
mstrader@tribunecourier.com

HARDIN – Bouncing red curls, a few freckles dotting her cheeks and a smile that would melt any heart. That’s 6-year-old Anna Grace.

Her sunny disposition hardly shows any sign of pain or struggle, but she’s certainly dealt with her fair share of both at a very young age.

Her mother, Teresa Vancil, tells of the first day she laid eyes on her baby girl.

“My husband and I had been trying and trying to have children. After several miscarriages, we just gave up,” Vancil said.

“Then one day we heard about an adoption fair taking place at Trace Creek Baptist Church and decided to go. That night, we knew we were going to adopt and we knew we were going to adopt a child from Russia.”

It was just seven months to the day that the Vancil’s finally got the blessing they had been praying for, and a little bit more.

The adoption agency contacted the Vancil’s and advised that they had a sibling pair– one boy and one girl available for adoption. The agency also told the Vancils that the little girl, just 19 months old at the time, was “sick and weak.”

Teresa recalls her reply to the agent’s next question.

“What would you do with a child that has special needs?” they asked.

“The same thing I would do if I had given birth to her,” said a tearful Vancil as she recalled that conversation. “I will love her and take care of her. That is what I will do.”

The Vancils flew to Russia shortly after.

“I remember the day we held our two babies for the first time,” she said. “It was Mother’s Day 2003 and my husband and I said to ourselves, wouldn’t it be a miracle if we were able to take our babies home on Father’s Day?”

But that was not possible in just three weeks, the couple told themselves.

The adoption agency informed the Vancils that it would be at least another six weeks before the paperwork would be completed and the children could be released into their custody.

Teresa, however, said God had another plan in mind.

“It had to be by the grace of God, because we were in court signing papers on Father’s Day. That was our ‘gotcha day’ – June 17.”

The Vancils brought home their 3-year-old son, Will, and 19-month-old daughter, Anna Grace.

And life hasn’t been the same since, Vancil added.
But, for all of the happiness and joy, there were still challenges ahead for the newly-established family.

Anna Grace could not talk, walk or even crawl. It wasn’t until she was more than 2 years old that she took her first steps, Vancil said.

Anna Grace was diagnosed at the age of 4 with Cerebral Palsy.

“It only affects her physically, not mentally,” Vancil noted, “but it presents various challenges for her.”

While Anna Grace has been undergoing occupational and physical therapy for some time now, it’s been a different type of non-traditional therapy that has the Vancils excited about her progress.

Therapeutic horseback riding, also known as an equine-assisted activity, is for individuals with a range of physical, emotional, cognitive and social special needs and it’s offered locally at H.O.R.S.E.S Inc. in Hardin.

It is believed that a horse’s natural movement simulates human movement in a rider. Patients who have muscular disorders particularly benefit from this type of therapy as heat transcends from the horse to the rider, loosening muscles and strengthening them at the same time.

Prompted by subtle commands, the rider is instructed to extend arms and legs, bend backward and lean forward, all while balancing and maintaining control of the horse.

This is the type of therapy the Vancils decided to try for their daughter.

Anna Grace had begun suffering from violent seizures for some time, and for many nights last year, she was unable to sleep alone.

“Something about the lights going out or lying down would trigger them,” Vancil said.

The seizures typically lasted 10 to 30 seconds, leaving her mother helpless in doing anything to ease her daughter’s violent episodes.

“All I could do was hold her, talk to her and rub her softly until it was over,” Vancil said with an obvious note of emotion.

The Vancils took Anna Grace to the emergency room and to hospitals in St. Louis on several occasions in hopes that physicians would be able to determine the underlying cause of the seizures, but they had no luck.

“The seizures continued to get worse,” Vancil said. “Then we started taking Anna Grace to riding therapy at H.O.R.S.E.S. Inc. We noticed the difference the first day.”

Vancil stated that on the way to the first riding session, Anna Grace had suffered numerous seizures.

“After her riding lesson, we made the drive home which is about 40 minutes. Anna had no seizures,” Vancil said in amazement.

“We went to lay down that night, and I prepared myself for what I thought was going to happen,” she told.

“I tucked her in and we said our prayers. Anna Grace thanked God for the horses she had rode that day and for Mr. Bill and Mrs. Joy,” (Owners of H.O.R.S.E.S. Inc.)

“While I said my prayers, she drifted off to sleep without so much as a twitch. Once I knew she was good and alseep, I sat there beside her and cried.”
Anna Grace has been in riding therapy for nearly a year now and the difference has been dramatic, Vancil said.

“She has been completely taken off of her anti-seizure medication, and she has not had another seizure since.”

Another note of progress the Vancils are singing about is their daughter’s newfound ability to run.

“After her first riding session, she dismounted off the horse and trotted over into my arms. That was the first time she had ever been able to do that,” Vancil said.

Of her rapid progress, Vancil said, “I don’t know where we would be without H.O.R.S.E.S. Inc. Bill and Joy donate their time and money to helping these kids. We knew the first time we went there, that God had led us to that program.”

Of the whole process and the fulfillment the Vancil’s say they’ve found in their family, challenges and all, Teresa said, “These children were meant to be ours. We just had to fly halfway around the world to get them.”