Disabled Father Couldn’t Take Newborn Son For A Walk, A Group Of Students Built Him A Wheelchair-Stroller
For the kids participating in the initiative, realizing this father’s goal was priceless.
This inspiring story will brighten your day. It includes a lovely three-person family and a bunch of highly creative high school pupils.
Jeremy King was overjoyed when he became a parent. Unfortunately, his delight was clouded by the fact that, owing to his condition, he was unable to fully enjoy his baby’s company. He developed a brain tumor and underwent surgery that caused him to lose his equilibrium. As a result, he now requires the assistance of a wheelchair.
Speaking to Good Morning America, Jeremy’s wife, Chelsie King, said: “While he can walk, he can’t do so safely carrying a child. So we jumped into, ‘OK, what do we need in order for him to parent safely?’ and honestly, not a whole lot came up — there’s just really not a ton of resources out there for disabled parents.”
“One of the things that we really couldn’t find was a way to enjoy walks with our son,” Chelsie said, according to NBC Washington.
“We really just wanted a method to go on family walks and for him to be able to do everything that a parent without physical disability does,” Chelsie explained.
Chelsie came up with a wonderful concept after considering all of the possibilities. She contacted kids in the Bullis School’s Innovation and Technology Lab, or BITlab, in Potomac, Maryland. Making for Social Good, taught by professor Matt Zigler, is one of the seminars that focuses on developing inventions that benefit people who need it the most.
Professor Zigler was delighted to provide the challenge to his students. “It was fantastic to have it as a challenge,” he added, “but it was even better that it was someone in our community who could benefit from it.”
The youthful minds came up with the most amazing idea. They developed the WheeStroll, which allows Jeremy to take his son on those much-anticipated walks.
The kids not only fulfilled one father’s dream, but they also won several honors for their creation, including “Best Inspirational Story” and “Best Showcase of Iterative Design.”
“Seeing the grin on his face and knowing that I was able to assist give him the connection with his child that he wouldn’t have been able to have due of his impairments,” said Benjamin Gordon, one of the students engaged in the project.
“It made me feel for them, and it made me angry because something like this should have been done already, and we shouldn’t be the ones—high schoolers—making these designs,” student Jewel Walker remarked.
We are overjoyed for Jeremy and Chelsie and grateful to the young pupils for their outstanding efforts.