Our family is involved with Variety Club here in St. Louis. They have a number of programs for kids with special needs including helping them get equipment, therapies, etc. They help us pay for private therapy for both girls. They also just helped Oksana get her very own bike! They have a big event once a year called Bikes for Kids. Tons of bikes are donated and there is basically a party to present them to all of the kids. They only give out a certain number a year, and you have to qualify, which really just involves filling out a form and getting a letter from a doctor and therapist stating why your child needs a bike. Oksana has been riding an adapted bike in therapy for awhile now and she loves it! When we told her she would get one of her own she was so excited and the first thing she wanted to do was race Evan ;).
A couple of months ago we went to a bike fitting where they found just the right bike for her with just the right seat, etc. They even let her pick the color....pink, of course.
Last weekend was finally the day she got her bike! The event was at the gym of a college in the area. The Rams mascot and cheerleaders were there and the place was full of kids and families. We waited in the halls while everyone loaded into the gym. When it was time to go in they lined us up in alphabetical order and then we went into the gym with people screaming and cheering and the kids were brought to their bikes. Oksana was a bit overwhelmed but once she got on her bike she was thrilled! They thought of everything. They gave her a pink helmet to match the bike and put a bell and a flag on it. Those are her favorite parts! Unfortunately it was in the 30s that day so we didn't do
much riding. When we got home I let her take it around the court a couple of times while we froze to death and then we parked it in the garage to wait for a decent day to ride. Here are some pictures:
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Waiting in the halls in her Bikes for Kids t-shirt. She is using forearm crutches here. I'll have to blog about that soon. |
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| Rams mascot and cheerleader. The cheerleaders were giving out pictures of themselves half naked to sign for the kids. I probably could have done without that but they were very nice. |
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| Happy kiddo! |
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| The flag. It cracked me up how much she loved the flag! |
Here is a video of her riding it. It has a handle on the back that I can use to help her steer and brake. It's pretty cool!
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