PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — The Cathro family leads a busy life. Their middle son, Cal, lives with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. The last few years have been a whirlwind of medical trips and treatments, plus the typical chaos of having a young family. Now, the Cathro family is excited to put on the very first major fundraising event for their nonprofit, Cal’s Cru, that will help Cal and kids like him.
The event is a charity golf tournament on Aug. 8 at the Chesapeake Hills Golf Course in Lusby that includes lunch, raffles and prizes. The proceeds will benefit four kids who currently attend weekly physical and occupational therapy at Let’s Move Mountains in McLean, Virginia. All of the kids are 3 years old and have diagnoses of cerebral palsy, epilepsy and/or cortical visual impairment.
Cal’s dad, Patrick, organized the event and runs Cal’s Cru when the family’s three kids are in bed. It’s work he says he loves — it feels purposeful because it gives back to families like theirs and helps foster the support networks he says were “everything” when he and his wife, Chloe, first learned of Cal’s diagnosis.
Cal was born in June 2022. Just a few days later, he fell ill with parechovirus that later turned to meningitis and was diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), meaning there was a lack of oxygen and restricted blood flow to his brain. Cal endured illness, seizures and tests, and was later determined to have significant brain damage in his first few fragile weeks of life.
The Cathros finally received a cerebral palsy diagnosis for Cal when he was about 6 months old. They quickly connected with Team Luke Hope for Minds and attended the organization’s conference in Texas, an experience Patrick Cathro said changed everything.
“To have people there who understood what we were going through and who could talk about it and connect us with resources opened our eyes to what was possible,” Cathro said.
And what was possible turned out to be a lot more than they’d thought. The family has traveled all over the world seeking treatments that will improve Cal’s quality of life, including highly specialized physical therapy, stem cell therapy, hyperbaric chambers and NeuroCytonix, which required the family to travel to and stay in Mexico for 30 days. Along the way, Cal was also diagnosed with cortical visual impairment (CVI) and epilepsy.
The family has a local network to rely on, made up of friends and family who Patrick Cathro says have been “irreplaceable” both in helping them care for the kids, offering support and spreading the word about their fundraising efforts. But getting to know more families who deal directly with a CP diagnosis like Cal’s lessens those feelings of isolation that often accompany the day-to-day reality of parenting a child with a brain injury.
He also credits his wife’s determination in getting Cal his diagnosis and starting treatment. But along with his awe for the community and his wife’s sacrifice came another realization: that the process for helping Cal came with some major roadblocks — like hours-long hold times with insurance, lack of resources in the hospital where Cal was first treated, and the care commitment that led to Chloe Cathro temporarily quitting her job as a guidance counselor and working as a server part-time to help the family. Patrick says Chloe plans to return to her full-time job this fall.
“We wouldn’t change a thing. But knowing what we know now, we hope to be a part of building that support community,” Patrick Cathro said. “I’m lucky to have a job that’s so accommodating, so when I’m home, I can put my focus one hundred percent on the family,” he added.
That community isn’t exclusive to Cal’s Cru or the upcoming fundraiser, but it’s a start on what the Cathros hope are bigger plans to provide resources and support for families.
Their life doesn’t look to be getting less busy any time soon, but building this community is a part of who they are. They hope that the golf tournament will help bring awareness to what Cal and the other kids face, and how life-changing it can be just to feel a little less alone.
Right now, Cal is doing well in spite of some setbacks. His father says he is “the happiest little guy” and loves music.
You can learn more about the golf tournament on Aug. 8 and how to register here. The tournament is still accepting sponsors and participants.
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