A family in upstate New York has turned a devastating medical diagnosis into a mission to help others. Their simple creation is helping hundreds of disabled children around the world move again.
Two-year-old Bella Shorr is getting around in ways her parents never thought possible. Her homemade wheelchair gives her mobility for the first time.
Bella has spina bifida, a birth defect of the spine that’s left her with no feeling below her knees.
Her mother Sonya says, “Everywhere we went we had to carry her or put her in a stroller.”
So, using a plan he found online, Bella’s great uncle Martin Parzynski built a wheelchair using a bumba-like seat for kids, tires, and a wooden board.
He says, “As we saw her maneuverability and her freedom, coming out of her captive body, playing with the other kids, we decided that we would try to make chairs for other children.”
They spread the word about Bella’s Bumbas on Facebook and in just a few months they’ve received almost 200 orders. Special needs families only pay the shipping.
Bella’s family says they’ve shipped these wheelchairs to children in 40 states and as far away as the Philippines. Since the wheelchairs aren’t commercially manufactured, families must sign a waiver of liability.
Bella’s Bumbas also asks that when a child outgrows their chair, their families donate it to another family.