The Chester Bluecoat Charity is delighted to report the impact made in the life of one local family following a £5,000 grant awarded to Children Today.
The grant has helped to fund the purchase of adapted equipment for four local children who live with disability. One of the pieces of equipment was a specialised trike for an 11 year old boy, who has multiple conditions including autism, epilepsy, Global Development Delay (GDD) and ADHD.
His mum explains “We first realised there was something different with him when he was about 10 months old. He had been hitting some of his physical milestones, but he wasn’t babbling and chatting the way most babies do, so at two years-old he was diagnosed with Global Development Delay. Since then, we’ve also found out he has epilepsy, autism and ADHD.
As a family we love cycling, but he can’t ride a regular bike as it wouldn’t be safe for him. Not only is he at risk of having a seizure, he also has the mental age of a three-year-old so has little danger awareness. He is an absolute whirlwind and has so much energy, so it can be a challenge to keep him busy and entertained at home. He loves the outdoors and is never happier than when he’s out and about exploring. We call him our ‘Curious George’ after the cartoon character”.
In order to allow her son the chance to join his younger brother and the rest of the family on bike rides, she applied to Children Today for an adapted trike. This is incredibly expensive as it has special adaptations including rear-steering control and brakes which allow his parents and brother to help direct and stop him if needed. It also has a lap belt, harness and padding meaning if he has a seizure whilst on the trike he won’t injure himself.
His dad says: “The trike can be adapted to grow with him, so it will last him well into adulthood and, crucially, it breaks down easily into smaller parts so we can take it further afield. I can also attach it to my own bike for longer bike rides, but he’s still able to pedal and get exercise.”
His mum continues: “We were incredibly grateful that Children Today was able to help. Having the trike has made a huge difference to us as a family. Simply being able to all go out on bike rides together is a major thing for us and watching him being able to play with his brother is just amazing. The week we got the trike we went to a local park, and for the first time ever we were able to just sit back and watch him play with his brother and his cousins, knowing he was safe. Usually, we have to carefully supervise his every move, so seeing him have the freedom to play and be more independent was a very emotional moment.”
The Chester Bluecoat Charity focuses on bringing about lasting change to prevent people from being disadvantaged. The charity is delighted to hear about how the trike has had such a positive impact for Cody and his family, and wish them many happy hours of bike rides!
To find out more about how The Chester Bluecoat Charity could support your organisation, call our friendly team on 01244 345 787 or email office@thechesterbluecoatcharity.co.uk
