Why Freddie needed our help
Freddie has achondraplasia, a form of dwarfism, which means that his limbs are shorter than average.
He first sat up at 17 months and only just started to stand, with assistance, at 3 years old. He is still not able to walk and has very low muscle tone which meant that he was missing out the playtime experiences that other children of his age could enjoy.
How the Sit ‘n’ Ride has helped
Although Freddie’s mum, Monica, had heard about our Sit ‘n’ Ride through a support network, she was unsure as to whether he would be able to successfully use one.
This year, Monica, Freddie and the rest of the family were given a Sit ‘n’ Ride by a family whose son had outgrown it which meant that they may as well give it a go.
They sat Freddie on it and, at first, he didn’t know what to do. But, after lowering the seat so that it was perfect for his height, he began to race around riding it.
His mum was over the moon.
“It was such a wonderful, happy moment for us. We had never seen him so independently mobile before. He used to just lay in his pram most of the day.”
How we made a difference
Compared with other children living with achondraplasia, Freddie has quite a significant developmental delay. But, he has already gained a huge amount of strength in his legs after just a few months of using his Sit ‘n’ Ride.
His mum added: “His physiotherapist and our friends and family are amazed by his progress and how much he loves his special tricycle”.
The family plan to take it away with them to Spain where they have rented a private villa with loads of outside space so Freddie can have lots of fun on holiday.
