ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WJBK) –
It was a life changing day for Charlotte Morgan. For the first time, the six-year-old rode her very own bike.
“She can be just like any other kid. She can ride her bike with her older sister and her younger brother,” said Gina Morgan, Charlotte’s mother.
Born deaf with cerebral palsy, Charlotte struggles to walk, but on her bike she feels new freedom.
“I love it. I’m very proud. It’s very emotional,” her mother said.
It is tough to hold back the tears at the annual Bike Day at Beaumont Children’s Hospital Pediatric Rehabilitation Center where special bikes are given to kids with special needs. Each bike is customized to meet the needs of each child and costs from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
“This year we were able to give away about 75 bikes. We raised about $120,000 to be able to make this year’s event come to fruition,” said Beaumont Physical Therapist Lindsay Trepanowski.
For children who often struggle to fit in and get around, these bikes are not just therapeutic, but tremendous to self-esteem.
“So many of these children have to just walk behind while their friends are riding bikes or maybe not go at all, or their families have to stop bike riding because they had a child with disability. Now the family can come out to the parks together and ride. It helps social development so much,” Trepanowski said.
The bulk of the funding comes from Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fund raisers and the annual University of Michigan Dance Marathon.
