Below are some of the amazing children the Children's Ability Fund has been able to assist in recent years. Click on our clients pictures for more about their stories.
Below are some of the amazing children the Children's Ability Fund has been able to assist in recent years. Click on our clients pictures for more about their stories.
"Reach for the stars, you have the ability!"
SYDNEE
Meet Sydnee
When it comes to friends, community events and weekend outings, Sydnee is what you might call a “social butterfly.”
Sydnee loves getting out of the house to spend time with friends and relatives. School is an important facet of her life, to be sure, but what keeps her spirit alive is the time she spends with loved ones. But Sydnee’s condition, cerebral palsy, was definitely limiting her. CP is a disease that affects the way the brain communicates with the muscles in the body. The word cerebral means having to do with the brain and the word palsy means a weakness or problem in the way a person moves or positions his or her body.
In Sydnee's case, she has challenges controlling the muscles in her body. Normally the brain tells the rest of the body exactly what to do and when to do it, but because CP affects the brain, it affects how much she is able to walk, talk, eat and play the way most kids do. “As Sydnee got older, her mobility
decreased,” explains mom Sheila. “As she grew, she got taller and heavier, and her dad Kevin and I found it increasingly difficult to lift and transfer her into our van to go places.
When Sheila developed degenerative discs in her lower back, along with other back problems, Sydnee’s outings all but stopped. When Sheila was the only parent available to attend to her daughter, it became too difficult to transport her. But, with help from the , the social butterfly has found her wings again. The family received funding of almost $9,000 for a Bruno Turny Orbit Seat, and it has made all the difference.
Now, the transfer system provides easy access to the car. The orbit seat rotates out of the family van, reaches out of the vehicle and down toward the ground, so Sydnee can manoeuvre herself onto it. Then, with the push of a button, she raises herself up and onto the van seat. “Having the seat has made us mobile again,” exclaims Sheila. “No more lifting, twisting or cracking of backs for all parties involved. And, Sydnee’s safety while she gets into the van, isn’t an issue at all anymore.”
The shopping trips, movies, swimming, birthday parties and visits to family and friends’ homes have started up again.“We’ve even been able to get Sydnee involved in sports,” says Sheila. “She now plays regularly with the Mini’s Northern Lights Wheelchair Basketball team.”
“Sydnee has a life again,” concludes Sheila. “To everyone at – you are all Angels.”
Cost = $9000