Occupational therapy turned 8-year-old Winter’s challenging recovery into a joyful journey of growing confidence and independence.
When Winter first arrived at Shriners Children’s Erie, she was navigating challenges far beyond what most 8-year-olds experience. What began as a blood infection had progressed into a complex medical condition, impacting her muscles and nerves, which ultimately required skin grafts. After leaving the hospital, her care team knew she needed specialized support to be able to perform everyday tasks like brushing her hair or tying her shoes, so they strongly recommended occupational therapy and physical therapy at Shriners Children’s Erie.
At first, therapy was tough. Winter’s mom remembers how she wasn’t very excited about it in the beginning. Winter worked with occupational therapist Kristen Ciacchini, OTR/L, to increase her independence with self-care tasks such as dressing and grooming. Their sessions focused on improving the range of motion and strength in her arms, wrists and fingers while refining her grasp to handle small objects and complete fasteners like buttons, zippers and shoelaces. Her therapy goals were addressed through a combination of therapeutic activities, games, crafts and play-based interventions, along with stretching and strengthening exercises. Many of these exercises were also provided for her family to continue practicing at home.
“OT was definitely very fun,” Winter said. Her favorite parts of occupational therapy included playing games like bean bag toss, working with different putties to build finger strength, and even inventing new names for games like “beach ball challenge” in the therapy space. These fun activities made a big difference in her progress and mindset. She went from dreading therapy to looking forward to every session.
Winter also utilized the therapy kitchen, a fully-functional space where patients can safely practice everyday tasks. With Ciacchini’s guidance, she learned how to use different types of adaptive knives and even cooked an entire pot of macaroni and cheese by herself. For a child working to regain both fine motor skills and a sense of normalcy, preparing a meal on her own was a major milestone. It empowered Winter to feel more self-sufficient and capable in her daily life, reinforcing the idea that she could care for herself, even after everything she had been through.
Winter’s story is exceptional in the fact that she made remarkable progress in such a short period of time. This would not have been possible without her family’s support and her perseverance to complete difficult tasks and keep pushing forward.
Throughout her journey, Winter’s family remained a steady source of care and support. At Shriners Children’s Erie, families are encouraged to play an active role in the therapy process by joining sessions and helping shape treatment plans and goals. For Winter, that support was always close by. Whether it was her mom or dad, one of them was there every step of the way.
When asked how she feels about Shriners Children’s Erie, Winter doesn’t hesitate. “If I had to rate Shriners on a scale from one to 10, I would give it a 1000,” she said. For Winter, occupational therapy at Shriners Children’s Erie became more than a place to recover, it became a place where she rebuilt her confidence and learned to do things on her own again. She’s not just looking forward to returning to occupational therapy; she’s excited for everything that comes next.
