Cerebral palsy: Two-year-old plays in the sea for the first time thanks to special wheelchair

A two-year-old child with cerebral palsy can swim for the first time thanks to a special wheelchair.

Heartwarming footage shows Joey Leathwood of Sheffield giggling through the waves at Skegness Beach in Lincolnshire on Friday.

He usually doesn’t like going to the beach because he struggles with the feeling of sand in his body even though he likes the water.

Cerebral palsy can cause hypersensitivity, making some crowded tissues, sounds, or spaces overwhelming.

It also causes tense and stiff muscles, making walking extremely difficult.

But her mom said it was the first time Joey was able to play at sea with her older brothers, Connor (11) and Maisie (8), “instead of feeling left out and different.”

It was made possible thanks to the water-resistant terrain wheelchair, which was rented for free from a local charity.

Value over £3,200, the wheelchair comes with a headrest and harness to help people with conditions that affect their movement, including cerebral palsy, stay upright.

And it has large, sturdy plastic “balloon” wheels that glide over the sand and can get into the water without getting stuck.

In the video, a wave crashes onto the beach as Joey chuckles and throws his head back. Someone else walks in, gently rocks his chair and the child screams with joy, his mother smiles behind the camera and his father smiles at him

It was provided by BeachAbility, a local charity founded by Sharon Gray, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2012 and donated the first wheelchair.

Joey’s mother, Helen, 34, who takes care of him full-time, said today: “She can’t do anything on her own and has huge sensory issues.

“She doesn’t like certain textures like grass, sand, snow, and fuzzy things, so we normally avoid the beach because she’ll feel bad if she can’t process an emotion and gets stuck in her stroller.” far from the sea.

“Since she can’t sit, it’s impossible for me to play with my other kids and have Joey around until I rent the Hippocampe beach wheelchair from BeachAbility.”

In the video, a wave crashes onto the beach as Joey chuckles and throws his head back.

Another enters, gently rocking his chair, and the boy screams with joy as his mother smiles behind the camera, and his 37-year-old welder father, Tom, smiles at him.

It was in the Hippocampe beach wheelchair made by the French manufacturer Vipamat.

17 kg (37 lb) wheelchairs have a stainless steel frame that does not corrode with water.

It has multiple wheel options with the balloon wheels in Joey’s model specially designed for fine sand.

They can also be equipped with skis instead of wheels for fun in the snow.

Ms Butterfield said: “It gave him the body support he needed and it was very easy to push the sand and get into the water naturally. Also, not touching the sand was a good obstacle for him.

“She was happy and able to be a part of the day with her brother and sister, she loved watching the waves crash over the seat but still felt safe.

“Honestly, I can’t praise the band enough and I wish this type of equipment was available years ago because it would have helped a lot of people.”

Cerebral palsy is the name for a number of conditions that affect movement and coordination due to a brain problem that occurs before, during, or shortly after birth.

Symptoms are usually not noticed right after the baby is born, but usually become noticeable two to three years later.

Not sitting for eight months, not walking for 18 months, and looking too stiff or too loose are some of them.

There is currently no cure, but physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and medications are widely used as treatments.

Everyone living with this condition is affected differently, but in general, most children live to adulthood, and some may live for decades.

Ms Butterfield shared a video of her son’s trip to a Facebook group on Friday, saying, “Anyone with a disability or a loved one is trying BeachAbility Ingoldmells beach wheelchairs.

‘My boyfriend loves water and although he can’t support his body enough to sit up alone, he fell into the sea for the first time today at the age of three and honestly he has never laughed so much.

“This group has given people of all ages the opportunity to be ‘by the sea’ and I cannot thank them enough.

“It gave my son the chance to experience the waves and beauty of Mother Nature instead of feeling excluded and different.”

BeachAbility was founded in 2012 by Sharon Gray, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and was the first person to donate a wheelchair to charities.