You may not have realized wheelchairs for toddlers don’t exactly exist. One mom found this out the hard way when she was trying to find one for her toddler, who is paralyzed. When her search came up empty-handed, however, this mom wasn’t about to be discouraged.
Evelyn Moore, now 13 months old, was diagnosed with cancer following her 4-month pediatrician visit. Because the stage four neuroblastoma tumor on Evelyn’s spine couldn’t be removed, she underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy instead. The good news is she is now in remission.
The bad news, however, is that Evelyn is paralyzed below her arms–which is a permanent condition. Naturally, Evelyn’s mom, Kim, was initially distraught, but she realized all she can really do is keep a positive attitude, stating:
“You go home and you cry and you come back the next day and be the strongest mom and dad you can ever be.”
After the diagnosis, Kim became determined to make Evelyn’s life as normal as possible–which included trying to find ways to make her more mobile. While searching around on the internet, Kim found a DIY baby wheelchair tutorial on Pinterest–which she showed her husband Brad.
The couple ended up buying a Bumbo seat, a kitchen cutting board, and two old wheels from a children’s bike, and just like that, their daughter’s wheelchair was born. The amazing thing is the fact that the chair only cost about $100. The freedom, of course, is priceless–which Kim explained:
“She really gets around now. She went backwards first and then she went forwards, and then she figured out how to turn. And now we have a speed bump in the middle of our living room because she just goes that fast.”
Even her pediatric oncologist, Dr. Bev Wilson, was astounded by Evelyn’s progress, stating:
“She looked like any adult or older child would in a wheelchair. She was turning around in circles, backing up.”
While she will eventually outgrow this seat (sooner rather than later!) and will need to get a more expensive wheelchair, this has given Evelyn a lot of confidence. We hope, of course, her confidence continues to grow as she gets older.
Watch the awesome video below to see Evelyn in action:
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