B is for Bike

B is for Bike!!

A few years ago we came to the conclusion that Alicia would never be able to ride a bike without assistance.  Through her PT at school at the time we discusses various options that were out there for her.  I spend hours and days looking online and researching various bike and various styles of all these bikes.  It was quite overwhelming.  I ordered any catalogs that I could get my hands on that had bikes for Alicia.  You need to order a bike that is going to be designed specially for her.  The bike needs to fit height, weight, lenght, width, and many, many more measurements. 
I was speaking with a friend of mine who has a son with Cerebral Palsy.  She had gotten an adaptive tricycle for her son through The Save The Kid Fund, which just happens to be based in CT.  So I figured I would give them a try, what is the worst that can happen, they say no?
So I researched and researched what type of bike we wanted for her.  We knew she needed an adaptive tricycle that would help her to stay seated upright (with the proper restraint system), pedals that would make her bike go that we could manipulate because she can't push the peddles on her own. Leg and feet straps so she could stay securely in the bike and many more things someone with a normal child would never have to give a thought to. 
So we jumped through the needed hoops, got a letter stating that there was a legitimate want/need for Alicia from her PT (physical therapist).  This bike gives Alicia good exercise, especially in her legs that are being forced to pedal.  I believe that this constant leg motion will in the future help her to have a more balanced gait. 
So we were able to get Alicia an adaptive tricycle and the first time we ever put her on it was amazing.  She beamed from ear to ear and just couldn't stop smiling.  She was happy the minute we put her on there.  She was also very patient with us while we were trying to figure out how to properly restrain her in the bike to minimize chance of injury.

The following like is a like to information regarding this charity.  I was checking up on the work they have done since I had worked with them for Alicia's bike and I got quite an amazing surprise.  They used one of the pictures I sent to them of Alicia on her bike and put it up on their website.  This following link will show Alicia, all smiles on her bike!

http://www.savethekid.org/aboutus.html