Cerebral Palsy Landon with Dr. Akbari

Giant Steps for Landon

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March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital celebrates the courage of these patients and the dedication of clinical experts who strive to help them reach their fullest potential.

Four-year-old Landon is up to something.

A young boy in a bright green rash guard and patterned swim trunks smiles excitedly with his arms outstretched while standing in shallow water at a colorful water park. Behind him, vibrant blue, red, and yellow water slides and play structures tower under a partly cloudy sky.

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You can see it in the look of anticipation and the dazzling, impish grin on his face.

He centers himself and makes his move.

One, two, three, four.

The family’s video clip shows Landon taking four steps toward his mother, Lauren.

“Oh, my Gosh!”

Lauren and Landon’s father, Brandon, had never seen their son do this before.

“We immediately started crying,” Lauren recalls. “It was one of the most joyful moments!”

Miracle

Landon was arguably a miracle from the start. Born at 24 weeks gestation and weighing 1 pound, 12 ounces, Landon spent his first 137 days in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Atlanta. With time, care and love, Landon beat the tough odds that can come with extreme prematurity.

Then around his first birthday came another diagnosis. A doctor confirmed that Landon had spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, an abnormal muscle tightness in the lower limbs caused by an imbalance of signals in the central nervous system from the brain and through the spinal cord.

In 2021, the family moved to Florida and soon began taking their son to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg to continue to receive specialized care.

Landon’s parents had been learning about a surgical procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR). It involves cutting portions of the sensory nerves that supply sensation information from the legs to reduce overactive spinal reflexes.

Hassan Akbari, M.D., is a pediatric neurosurgeon with Johns Hopkins All Children’s.

“A lot of times, kids who have cerebral palsy have a brain injury at birth,” Akbari says. “They lose the ability for their brain to inhibit the reflexes we normally have in our legs.”

The surgery could help to change that.

SDR Surgery

On Landon’s surgery day, Akbari makes a small incision and temporarily removes a single piece of bone to access the dorsal nerve roots. He then divides them into thirds.

To test the nerve roots, Akbari employs something called intraoperative neuromonitoring. Electrodes are placed on Landon’s legs. A neurophysiologist is positioned in front of a computer, which allows her to methodically send electronic signals through each nerve to elicit a response from the corresponding muscles.

Two out of three of the nerves with abnormal firing patterns are cut, with the surgeon taking care to preserve some function.

“Landon’s surgery went great,” Akbari says.

Relearning

The surgery was effective in reducing the excessive tone in Landon’s legs. But there was a world of hard work ahead of this little boy.

James Chinarian, M.D., specializes in pediatric rehabilitation medicine at Johns Hopkins All Children’s.

“Physical therapy is essential after this surgery,” he says, “to help regain strength and the ability to walk.”

Progress was slow at first, but gradually, there were more and more moments to celebrate. Over time, Landon’s gait began to improve. His confidence is soaring along with his skills as he reaches new milestones — including those precious first four steps.

“The SDR surgery is the best decision we ever made,” Lauren says. “We’re so grateful for it.”

Learn more at HopkinsAllChildrens.org

 

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*Presented by Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital | Featured Image: Landon with S. Hassan Akbari, M.D., M.S., at Johns Hopkins All Children's | Originally published in the March 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.