Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
‘Magic’ wheelchair made with a lot of love
Boynton employees made gift for girl, 10
BOYNTON BEACH — For most girls, getting around in a purple Camaro as their first car is only a dream. For Emma Pietrafesa, who was born with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, a genetic disorder that presents a range of physical, cognitive and medical challenges, it was a reality in the form of a “magic” purple wheelchair, built especially for her by two Boynton Beach city employees.
Emma, 10, seemed unable to contain her excitement Friday as Coral Springs firefighters and Mayor Steven Grant unveiled the wheelchair at the Magic Wheels and Special Deals event in Boynton Beach.
Her mother, Karen Pietrafesa, held her and her 12-year-old brother, Anthony, who has autism, keeping a reassuring hand on Emma’s shoulder as she saw her wheelchair for the first time.
Boynton Beach project manager Kevin Ramsey and police officer Wilmer Rodriguez, who spent more than 100 hours building the wheelchair, saw the result of their effort.
“A lot of love” was poured into the project, Rodriguez said.
Ramsey said Emma’s demeanor had been subdued when he met her. “There’s definitely some fire in her right now,” he said Friday as she sat in the wheelchair.
Saturday morning, Emma will kick off the Barrier Free 5K Run, Walk and Roll as the honorary starter in her new wheelchair, modeled to look like her father’s prized possession, a 2010 fire-engine red Camaro. The race will start at the Congress Avenue Barrier Free Park, 3111 S. Congress Ave., which was designed to accommodate individuals of all ages with disabilities.
It will be a welcome respite for the family after almost three months without Emma’s father, Paul Pietrafesa. The Coral Springs firefighter died the day before Thanksgiving last year after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Friday’s event and Saturday’s race
are nice distractions for the whole family, she said, including her other three children.
“It’s given us some smiles, and something positive to look forward to,” she said.
A portion of the race registration fees will be used to expand the Congress Avenue Barrier Free Park.
The park presents as few barriers to those with disabilities as possible, such as transition points like grass between a play area, said parks director Wally Majors. The park also features ramps onto play areas, elements that make sounds and movements to provide auditory and sensory stimulation and elements that provide uneven surfaces, like hills, for children on the autism spectrum who may have trouble feeling balanced, he said.
People of all ages and abilities can enjoy the park, he said. It is designed to accommodate adults as well, so that parents and grandparents who may or may not have disabilities don’t have to sit on the sidelines.
“We did the best we could to make it as accessible as possible for people of every ability level,” he said.