A local youth is travelling the road to recovery with a new set of wheels, thanks to two local service groups.
The Drayton Kinsmen Club and the Pal Mocha Shrine Club joined forces to purchase a special needs three-wheeler for Carson Deckert.
Members of the clubs were on hand to see it delivered on Aug. 15.
Carson, 5, son of Drayton residents Eric and Carrie Deckert, suffers from spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
The condition is marked by tense muscles and spasms. Leg muscles in particular tend to be extremely tight, and over time this causes joints to stiffen, reducing range of motion.
Carson walks with the aid of a walker, but his mother says he was able to ride a regular bicycle with training wheels if someone helped him move his legs.
“But now he can just go,” she said, after watching Carson take his first ride on the Zoulou adaptive tricycle.
Carrie said the design of the bike relieves stress on Carson’s legs while he rides and will “help him build up strength for the surgery he may have next year.”
Carson is a candidate for selective dorsal rhizotomy, a neurological procedure that selectively destroys problematic new roots in the spinal cord.
Carson takes physiotherapy once a month through KidsAbility in Fergus and two to three times a month privately with a pediatric therapist. Recently his KidsAbility therapist recommended the Deckerts attend one of their events on adapted bikes.
“You would not believe how remarkable this experience was for him to realize he too could ride a bike like his friends,” Carrie wrote in a letter to the Pal Mocha Shriners.
“The independence and confidence that Carson will be able to gain by being able to pedal his own bike will be remarkable – not to mention the fact of being able to ride a bike with his friends and family.
“He will also develop some very important body strength that will aid his growth, coordination and confidence.”
After learning of Carson’s need for the three wheeler the Kinsmen and Shrine clubs agreed to split the $2,500 cost.
The Kinsmen also purchased a new helmet for Carson to wear while riding.
Ron Faulkner of the Pal Mocha Shriners said the club, which supports numerous causes assisting children, was pleased to be able to help a local family.
Drayton Kinsmen Club president Ray Kuper echoed that sentiment.
“Our club’s motto is ‘Serving the community’s greatest need.’ Carson’s part of the community and he’s in need,” Kuper stated.
In an email after the tricycle was delivered, Carrie stated, “Words cannot express how truly grateful we are. And as for Carson, this little man is over the moon … Carson just loves it.”
Kuper noted the support of community members for the annual Drayton Kinsmen Farm Show and other club events allows them to raise funds for local causes.
