“I got a bike!”: Adaptive bike brings freedom to boy with cerebral palsy

Seven-year-old Hunter Ripley is a boy of few words. There’s a rare “bye-bye” to his mother as he sets off for school and an occasional “whee” when he’s pushed on his adaptive swing.  So when Hunter screamed, “I got a bike!” at the local pool where he does aquatic therapy every Thursday evening, everyone in the pool went silent. “Then the cheering started,” recalls his mother Bekah Ripley. In February, Bekah and her husband Bart learned about The Great Bike Giveaway, a national contest in which children with special needs can win their own adaptive bike. In order to win, Hunter needed votes and lots of them. Within 48 hours of entering the contest, Hunter had 500 votes—not enough to win, but enough for Bekah to believe that it was possible. So she pulled out all the stops. The Ripleys reached out to families and friends across the U.S., and Hunter’s respite worker called local news stations in Albany, N.Y., to ask them about posting Hunter’s story on Facebook. And when the ABC affiliate aired an interview with the family, Hunter skyrocketed from 16th to first place. He won the contest by nearly 7,500 votes. “I never thought he’d win. It’s mind-boggling,” says Bekah. But it’s not the first time Hunter has overcome the odds. After Hunter was born, doctors told his parents he probably wouldn’t live through the night. Bekah had suffered a maternal-fetal hemorrhage, and Hunter’s umbilical cord had wrapped around his neck. His brain was sever...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Orthopedics Our patients’ stories Source Type: news