Goodbye to her happy place

GREENWICH — "I don't remember much, but I remember my mom crying." At 5 months old, Courtney Crain, a 2026 graduate of South Central High School, was taken by helicopter to Akron Children's Hospital after she stopped breathing. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which she and her mother, Christy Crain, described as having weak and tight muscle tone requiring her to use a walker. Christy reflected on the incident, saying the doctors believe the lack of blood flow led to the problems she has now. "I was honestly just glad that she was still here," Christy said. "Going the 10 minutes without oxygen for a little baby, I mean, that's a long time, so I was just very thankful for that." Even though she has little memory from when she was younger, Courtney said she gets nervous and jumpy when she hears a doctor say her diagnosis. "It's weird hearing them say it," Courtney said. "I think I just don't like the word, but it's also because I know that I have it." Growing up with cerebral palsy came with a different set of challenges for Courtney and Christy. Courtney was nervous about starting school, but she eventually made friends and decided to be herself rather than worrying about anyone judging her. "I did have some struggles with some of the kids being mean, but I did just ignore them because in my head I just kept saying, 'They're just jealous, Courtney. You are different from them and they're just picking on you because of it,'" Courtney said. For her mother, Christy was worried about her daughter falling and whether she would be able to move. When Courtney was a toddler, therapists came to the house who assured Christy that Courtney would be able to walk, just in a different way. "There are different ways to do things, and she has figured out different ways to do things pretty much her whole life now," Christy said. Courtney said goodbye to high school, which she described as her happy place, but she feels amazing. "When you have a kid like that, you know that they are different than everyone else, and she adapted and figured out ways to do things," Christy said. "I never really thought that we would ever get to here. It came so quick. One day they're little, and then the next day they're graduating." Despite graduating and saying goodbye to school, which she described as her happy place, Courtney said she feels amazing. "I'm always saying to myself, 'I want to go back to second grade again,'" Courtney said. "I love school so much, I do feel like I should have talked more to people and made more friends, but it was amazing to get out of the house for a couple of hours and spend time with others who care about me." Online classes through North Central State College are Courtney's next step. She is working toward a behavioral health degree in psychology. Christy said she believes her school psychologist might have played a role in her decision-making after lending her support through school. "I love to help others," Courtney said. "It's one of the things I love to do."