DOCTORS predicted their baby would never walk, but the Rooms family dared to hope.

Now baby Nolan is beginning to overcome some of his symptoms of cerebral palsy.

Nolan was born three and a half months premature in 2012. His brain was starved of oxygen, killing almost half of his brain cells.

It is one of several common causes of cerebral palsy, which affects more than 100 children on the Sunshine Coast.

Now two, Nolan, of Little Mountain, doesn’t have crippled limbs like many cerebral palsy sufferers. He can speak 50 words and recently learned how to eat properly.

His mother Nicole found the inspiration for an alternative approach in her native Germany, where therapy using “therasuits” was recommended for children who suffered oxygen starvation.

“When Nolan was born, they basically said to us take Nolan home, love him, but he will never be able to move himself, hold his head up, eat (or) drink,” Ms Rooms said.

“He now eats everything we do, just in smaller portions – but it takes a little bit longer than us.”

The family hired a Portuguese therapist trained in the US, who is now halfway through a six-week intensive block of therapy with Nolan.

Maria Maduriaera uses the therasuit as a tool to help Nolan’s brain communicate with specific muscles.

“It’s like a big nappy,” Ms Rooms said. “It has rubber bands that imitate the muscles inside.”

The rubber bands help Nolan perceive where the muscles are and how he has to use them to, for example, roll over.

“She uses the suit for a couple of days and then she tries without and repeats until he has learned,” Ms Rooms said.

Ms Maduriaera said Nolan was doing exceptionally well.

“Nolan is a really smart kid. He can understand completely what you want,” she said.

“He really tries hard and hard and hard. His face shows he is working so hard. He really wants to be able.”

Ms Rooms was trained as a lawyer, and her husband Christian worked in mining before they moved from Townsville to get alternative therapies for Nolan.

Ms Rooms cares for Nolan full-time, and the family is struggling to pay for his treatments.