Testimonial
Arlo Fellenz (mother of Ashtyn)
Ashtyn has received NDT over her 20 years of life. Being a child with Canavans Disease, her life expectancy is 7 to 10 years of age. Symptoms include lack of motor development, feeding difficulties, abnormal muscle tone and poor muscle control. Also paralysis, blindness and hearing loss as the myelin deteriorates.
Ashtyn through out her life continues to receive NDT services. Occupational, Physical, Speech Therapies, deep tissue massage, Craniosacral, Visceral manipulation, Myofascial releases. All of these therapies she has received over her 20 yrs of life have had and continues to have an important impact on her good health. Has kept her able to swallow better, expand lungs to breathe, helped pain level, receive daily cares, to have better mobility. Most of all has given Ashtyn better quality of life and living longer than expected. We very much appreciate all the people in her past and present that continue to have impact on Ashtyns well being.
Testimonial
Ami and Sharan Jagtiani
Leslie Paparsenos is our daughter, Amaira’s physiotherapist. We first met Leslie in the US (Milwaukee) in 2013 when she was kind enough to let us use her house for Amaira’s PT sessions, though she wasn’t working with us then.
A few years later, in 2017, we had done a round of botox for Amaira and needed a really experienced hand for her PT to capitalise on the ‘botox window’. We reached out to Leslie, and this was the first time she did an intensive with Amaira in Mumbai.
Since 2017 to January 2020, we have had Leslie here in Mumbai every year (four times). Each visit is for about 15 days. And every visit reinforces our belief that Leslie is an outstanding PT and one of the best if not the best (and we have seen a lot!).
Under Leslie’s guidance and intensive treatment Amaira has made remarkable progress. Leslie possesses a unique combination of exceptional theoretical knowledge and tremendous practical skills. Amaira works with her for upto 5 hours a day. Each sessions is so different and dynamic. Leslie devises ways of making such difficult exercises interesting by making the activity so novel and exciting. She pushes Amaira to new heights and gets her to use her entire body and recruit her potential to the optimum. Everything in the house, from tables to chairs to desks to treadmills (apart from the usual PT equipment) is fair game for being used as part of PT.
Only Leslie can get Amaira to feel so exhilarated with PT, because somewhere within, even Amaira realises that she is achieving what doctors said she would never achieve.
After a recent major surgery on both legs and prolonged plaster for 8 weeks, Leslie did a remarkable job to get Amaira to regain strength and balance and eventually within 3 weeks of working with her, managed to get Amaira to start walking with a walker. Amaira has now, at the age of 8-9 years, for the first time started walking independently with the walker, and as parents we acknowledge Leslie’s immense contribution to this massive milestone in Amaira’s progress.
Leslie is now more than a PT. She is a good friend. We draw on her knowledge and guidance even when she is not in Mumbai treating us. She interacts with our surgeon and I believe they too benefit from her insightful inputs. We always look forward to her time in Mumbai.
We would strongly recommend Leslie to anyone in need of a paediatric PT.
Without the dedication, expertise, and inventiveness of Leslie, our son AJ would not be the young man he is today. Following AJ’s international adoption at thirteen months old, we had a physical therapy evaluation. While we were in shock over his newborn level of function, Leslie was calm, encouraging, and dedicated to educating and training our whole family. We received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy at age eighteen months, followed by many more diagnoses. Leslie’s treatment style is unabridged. She understands children with different abilities and treats the whole child, not just one diagnosis. Her strongest attribute was to constantly challenge him on multiple levels. She became an incredible advocate for AJ, working closely with his teachers, additional therapists, and physicians. In our opinion, you will find no therapist who is more passionate, skilled, or dedicated than Leslie. We highly recommend Leslie and consider our family extremely lucky to have worked with her.
Heidi and Jeremy Schmidt
Without the dedication, expertise, and inventiveness of Leslie, our son AJ would not be the young man he is today. Following AJ’s international adoption at thirteen months old, we had a physical therapy evaluation. While we were in shock over his newborn level of function, Leslie was calm, encouraging, and dedicated to educating and training our whole family. We received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy at age eighteen months, followed by many more diagnoses. Leslie’s treatment style is unabridged. She understands children with different abilities and treats the whole child, not just one diagnosis. Her strongest attribute was to constantly challenge him on multiple levels. She became an incredible advocate for AJ, working closely with his teachers, additional therapists, and physicians. In our opinion, you will find no therapist who is more passionate, skilled, or dedicated than Leslie. We highly recommend Leslie and consider our family extremely lucky to have worked with her.
Heidi Renee Schmidt, Author
The Road Less Traveled: A Memoir of Adoption, Special Needs, Detours, and Love
