Words cannot describe the excitement of watching a child, who has been confined to a wheelchair ride a bicycle. When Kaleb was a little guy, he rode his bike like the best of them. I remember how exciting it was to take off the training wheels. Then, the effects of osteopetrosis raised it's ugly head once again and let him confined to a wheelchair. It took us YEARS to realize what was occuring in his hips but the pain level was so intense, it didn't matter what the doctors told us, we knew we were in serious trouble. Needless to say, our days of bike riding were in the distance, not to be considered in our near future.
Seven years and LOTS of physical therapy later, we overcame the challenge on Friday and we watched with tears in our eyes when he successfully rode his new bike. We have looked for quite some time for a bike that would work well with the limited mobility in his hips. We found a "Low Rider" which ended up being a perfect fit. It allows minimal impact on his hips and the placement of the pedals allowed it to meet our unique needs.
Kaleb handles all trials and accomplishments with a large dose of grace. He tried to act like it was 'not a big deal' but in my mind, he has overcome yet another 'hurdle' that most of us take for granted. The little thing, like riding a bike, made this mom's day/week/month.
Thank you God for granting us the chance to see such a beautiful sight.
Lori
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1 comment:
Hi Lori, my heart goes out to your son. My name is Lynsie, I am 23 and I too have Osteopetrosis. I was diagnosed with it when I was 12 years old and since then I have broken many bones. I too have created a blog about osteopetrosis and how I live with it each day, please visit it. I will be praying for your son and your family =)
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