Why this site

When I was born, my right arm did not move.

My parents had no idea why. My Dad told me that the hospital staff didn’t say why it didn’t move. They were silent…but they knew. The obstetrician had to break my collar bone to get me out. That injured the brachial plexus nerves in my shoulder. Those nerves connect your brain’s commands to the muscles in your arm and hand.

But my parents had no idea what was happening nor what they could do about it. They were completely in the dark and they couldn’t get a straight answer from any doctor as to the prognosis. One doctor said my arm would turn inward and eventually need to be broken and re-set. Another said that I would grow out of it. Our pediatrician had no experience with it.

Eventually, after lots of research, my parents connected with other parents going through the same thing. It turns out that few people know what the future holds because a nerve injury comes in many different degrees and you can never really tell how it will heal. Some kids have it way worse than others. I was actually lucky. After three months, my fingers began to move. Today, my arm looks a little weird but I play sports and nobody can really tell my right arm is not quite…right.

My name is Tate Peddrick. I made this site just to cast a little light in the darkness that parents and kids go through when they are wondering what the future might look like. It’s not really about my story and it’s not a legal or medical advice site. It’s just about hearing real people talk about life with this injury. My mission is just to provide some source of strength and optimism for kids and parents living with a brachial plexus injury.

I also want to encourage you to donate to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. The people there knew all about my injury and gave us all the information we needed. And they do it all for free. If there was ever a great cause to support, it is Shriner’s.