Restoring childhood through rehabilitation

Nine-year-old Alesha's symptoms began with tingling in her hands, and within a few months she could neither walk nor talk. Alesha has Wilson's disease, a rare genetic condition that results in a progressive buildup of copper in the body. Alesha lost 2 years of her life to Wilson's disease. This article focuses on the clinical and rehabilitation aspects of Wilson's disease and on the efforts to restore to Alesha the childhood the disease cost her. Nursing care for Alesha involved physiological, developmental, and restorative components, with special attention to the home pediatric rehabilitation program.