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From the "Ouachitonian": Anna Caroline Strickland
January 01, 2020
Previously published in the 2018 Ouachitonian yearbook.
Anna Caroline Strickland looked at all of the young faces around her. Each child had difficulties to overcome, and she knew in that moment that she would be the one to help them along the way.
Strickland, a senior communication sciences and disorders major from Little Rock, discovered her love for helping children by volunteering at Easter Seals Arkansas, an organization in Little Rock that provides services to people with disabilities or special needs.
Strickland attended preschool there to receive occupational and physical therapy due to her cerebral palsy. This disorder occurs when an infant’s brain is injured during or shortly after birth due to a lack of oxygen, an infection or other cause, which results in a motor deficit or disability. Strickland has spastic cerebral palsy, so she has tight muscle tension and is never completely relaxed. Also, her femurs are turned inward, so she had to have surgery to rotate them out. That was one of three surgeries she had to go through.
“I basically had to learn to walk all over again,” Strickland said.
Strickland knew cerebral palsy would continue to affect her life, so she was grateful for the help she received from people at school and from her family.
“My mom pushes me because that’s how parents should be. They should push their kids to be the best that they can be,” Strickland said. “My mom, she’s a trooper, and so is Lizzie, my sister. She says I teach her patience.”
Strickland began volunteering at Easter Seals the summer of freshman year and returned every summer since then.
“Those kids are so resilient and full of life. I always think about them when I’m having a bad day, and they just bring a smile to my face,” said Strickland.
All of her time at Easter Seals influenced her plans to go into speech therapy after graduation because she understood the importance of being able to communicate with loved ones.
“Because of all the help that I received as a little girl, I want to help kids communicate to the best of their ability,” said Strickland. “I hope I help them realize that they can be and do anything they set their minds to.”
By Victoria Anderson
Anna Caroline Strickland looked at all of the young faces around her. Each child had difficulties to overcome, and she knew in that moment that she would be the one to help them along the way.
Strickland, a senior communication sciences and disorders major from Little Rock, discovered her love for helping children by volunteering at Easter Seals Arkansas, an organization in Little Rock that provides services to people with disabilities or special needs.
Strickland attended preschool there to receive occupational and physical therapy due to her cerebral palsy. This disorder occurs when an infant’s brain is injured during or shortly after birth due to a lack of oxygen, an infection or other cause, which results in a motor deficit or disability. Strickland has spastic cerebral palsy, so she has tight muscle tension and is never completely relaxed. Also, her femurs are turned inward, so she had to have surgery to rotate them out. That was one of three surgeries she had to go through.
“I basically had to learn to walk all over again,” Strickland said.
Strickland knew cerebral palsy would continue to affect her life, so she was grateful for the help she received from people at school and from her family.
“My mom pushes me because that’s how parents should be. They should push their kids to be the best that they can be,” Strickland said. “My mom, she’s a trooper, and so is Lizzie, my sister. She says I teach her patience.”
Strickland began volunteering at Easter Seals the summer of freshman year and returned every summer since then.
“Those kids are so resilient and full of life. I always think about them when I’m having a bad day, and they just bring a smile to my face,” said Strickland.
All of her time at Easter Seals influenced her plans to go into speech therapy after graduation because she understood the importance of being able to communicate with loved ones.
“Because of all the help that I received as a little girl, I want to help kids communicate to the best of their ability,” said Strickland. “I hope I help them realize that they can be and do anything they set their minds to.”
By Victoria Anderson
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