Meet Maria!
Meet five-year-old Maria. She was born premature and diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She cannot walk as a result of the illness. Maria, however, gets around by using a manual wheelchair loaned by her school. She also has only 20% use of one arm. Maria has learned how to cope with these and other challenges.
Maria is similar to other kids her age; she is also very mature in other ways. Maria has interests that are age appropriate. She watches My Little Pony and her favorite character is Rainbow Dash. She sings along to children’s music. Maria says that her talent is singing, and we might even see her on stage someday! Maria also attends school, and not surprisingly music class is one her favorite subjects—along with art and playing with Playdoh. Maria has more interests, but the most remarkable part of this child is her fierce determination to be independent. She taught herself how to climb stairs. She learned how to move around her room without aide. Maria sometimes falls while being transferred, and she refuses to accept help to get back up. She responds to assistance by saying, “I’m not a baby anymore!” Maria somehow manages to get up. This five-year-old girl teaches us three life lessons.
Be positive. Be courageous. And never let life keep you down.
Maria needs a manual wheelchair that will improve her posture and comfort. Please be her sponsor!
Maria finally has a wheelchair she can use! But more importantly a wheelchair that fits her properly and has safety measures to make sure she is secure when using it! Maria went through several training sessions to make sure she knew how to use the power chair and to understand she had to be careful with it!
The overall improvement to Maria’s daily interactions was so positive! Way to go Maria, keep rolling!