Specialized wheelchair gives family freedom
‘It’s a whole new world’
As soon as the wind hits his little face, Lyndon Andersen’s face lights up.
“He absolutely loves being outside,” his mother, Adina Stamp, said of her five-yearold son. “It makes him so happy.”
Since Lyndon, who has moderate cerebral palsy, and his brother, Zander, were born almost six years ago — two of a set of triplets born three months’ premature, with their brother, Billy, dying at birth — Stamp has made a point of doing things with them, including many outdoor activities.
But unless it’s on a smooth surface, going many places is out of the question, as Lyndon’s wheelchair, with its small front wheels, isn’t designed to tackle rough terrain.
“There are places we’ve gone, I’ve just left in tears because it’s just so hard to get through,” Stamp said Wednesday during a socially distant visit to her home in Bay Bulls, where she sat on the living room’s hardwood floor watching Lyndon as he played with his favourite toy. “It’s heartbreaking.”
It has sometimes meant Stamp had to go on excursions, on terrain with bumpy and rocky hiking trails, without Lyndon.
“Every time we’d go, I just have this lump in my throat, wishing Lyndon was with us,” said Stamp, adding that her partner, the boys’ father, William, often stays home with Lyndon.
“It made me so sad because I knew he would love to be there.”
But recently, Lyndon has been able to go along, conquering some challenging hiking trails with his family — thanks to a specialized wheelchair they borrowed for three weeks from the Janeway children’s hospital.
Designed for outdoor activities, the Hippocampe all-terrain wheelchair can go through all kinds of terrain. Stamp first heard about it in a blog, Through the Tulips,
“There are places we’ve gone, I’ve just left in tears because it’s just so hard to get through … It’s heartbreaking.” Adina Stamp Lyndon’s mother
written by her friend, Julie Brocklehurst. Stamp immediately put her name on the waiting list at the Janeway to borrow one. She was thrilled when, a month later, it was their turn to pick it up.
“We’re so excited because this thing can go so many places,” she said.
With double-width back wheels, a wide front tire and light-weight tube frame, it runs easily over sandy beaches and gravel, and is even great in water. In the winter, it can easily be converted with a ski kit to travel on snow and ice.
It has made reaching many places — otherwise inaccessible for Lyndon — possible, while providing him and his family with a huge sense of freedom.
“It’s a whole new world,” she said.
The first venture they took a few weeks ago was a section of the East Coast Trail near La Manche Provincial Park. After pushing over rocks and tree roots, they finally reached the suspension bridge, and Stamp couldn’t help but get emotional.
“As we were walking through the trail, Zander was so excited Lyndon was with us, and Lyndon was laughing and smiling and looking around with oohs and ahs. I’m just taking in both their reactions and I’m crying,” said Stamp, her eyes filling with tears thinking back on that moment.
“I never thought we would ever be able to do anything like that, to go out on the East Coast Trail with Lyndon with us without being in a carrier. It was just amazing.”
Zander, who came to sit with his mother on the floor, said he loved having his brother by his side on the hike.
“It was cool,” he said with a shy smile when asked how he felt about the experience with Lyndon. “He was smiling a lot.”
Stamp said she was determined to make it to the suspension bridge with Lyndon, because she knew she may never get another chance, as there is a waiting list to borrow the wheelchair.
But recently, she found out Lyndon may just get one of his own.
Earlier this week, Stamp’s sister, Vickii Stamp, set up a Go Fund Me page to purchase a Hippocampe wheelchair of their own.
In less than two days, the page raised more than $6,000 of the $8,000 needed.
Vickii Stamp said her sister has a huge heart and wants nothing more than to see her children happy. She said the money will be a huge boost for the family.
“There’s no way they could afford $8,000,” she said. “People are so generous, so kind, and they care when made aware of what people are going through.”
Stamp said there are only two or three Hippocampe wheelchairs available in the region, including one at Easter Seals. Since the family expects they will reach their goal, Stamp said, they want to keep the fundraising going to purchase more Hippocampe wheelchairs and donate for other families to enjoy.
“Let’s get one, two or three more. Let’s keep it going. Sky’s the limit,” she said. “We’re not stopping here because having one can mean so much to (the) mental health (of people with special needs).”
Adina Stamp said she is overwhelmed and can’t wait for the day when hikes with Lyndon can be year-round.
But until then, she is making the most of her time with the loaner she has.
“We’re ready to hit the trails in Tors Cove,” she said after getting the boys dressed and loading them into the family van.
“That’s where we’re going to have our supper and watch the ocean splash up over the rocks. … It’s a bit of a hike down there, but we’re just so glad we can go. … And seeing the boys’ reactions is priceless.”