The Variety Club Children's Charity!

This weekend, Abram got to have an experience of a lifetime as he was gifted an adaptive trike at the Variety Club's Telethon! The charity raised over four million dollars last weekend and it was such an honor to be a small part of that.

Variety gives away bikes to kids of all abilities but Abram needed a specialized trike called a Rifton. Our wonderful OT (Hi, Miss Jen!) suggested we apply for their specialized bike program and our Pediatrician wrote the prescription for it, explaining why Abram needed this piece of equipment. This bike has so many fantastic adaptive features on it including a harness for his chest to give him the support he needs to stay sat up on the bike seat, a lap belt to help keep him from sliding off the seat, pedals with multiple velcro straps to keep his feet in place, an adaptive steering wheel so he can hold on and steer more easily, a pulley system on the pedals so it goes more easily for him and handle on the back for when he needs to slow it down for mama! 

Abram's big sister, Taylor surprised him at the event, which made him so very happy. He loves his sister so much and when he saw her he just couldn't stop shaking his head excitedly!  My mom was able to attend the telethon with us as well so it's pretty great that we got a family picture with the event's MC -  Hacksaw Jim Duggan! It was so sweet that he took the time to come out for a photo with us. I remember watching him as a child so getting to meet him was a bit of a treat for me! 

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Here's a video of Abram riding his new trike at home! He is LOVING IT and I cannot wait to spend the summer chasing after him. It's such an honor to receive such a gift and I couldn't be more thankful!  This is a big deal to our family as going on walks is difficult for Abram. He struggles with transitions from grass, to concrete, to gravel, etc and cannot go long distances. With this bike, he has no fear, can roll right over the things that would cause him to hesitate and become agitated and giggles with glee as he pedals down the hill by our home.  This is going to change his life immensely as he finally gets a taste of FREEDOM!  Thank you Variety! You change so many lives and do great things. We love and appreciate it.

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Here's Abe taking the trike down the hill by our house. He loves going fast and giggles when he passes us as we walk!

If you know someone who needs a bike or want to help a child like Abe get a bike, please learn more about the Variety Club and all the amazing things they do by clicking the link below!
https://www.varietyiowa.com/donations/specialized-bike/