For people with certain physical disabilities, their world is limited. They can live fulfilling lives but they still have restrictions on some of the physical activities they enjoy.
But one little boy with cerebral palsy was finally able to experience his dream of skateboarding, thanks to a couple of creative builders.
João Vicente is 7 years old and lives in Curitiba, Brazil. João has a rare genetic disorder as well as cerebral palsy. When he was less than 2 years old, he suffered a stroke, the result of his medical conditions. That left him without motor function in parts of his body.
However, that never stopped him from continuing to dream of being able to do something special.
João longed to be able to experience skateboarding. His mother, Lau Patrón, nurtured that dream.
“He is a boy full of will, desires, dreams,” she said. “And one of them was for a long time skateboarding. For children who have cerebral palsy, or any other kind of disability, having desires and dreams is not allowed. The world is always telling us no. We must not, we cannot, it will not work, there is no adaptation. We do not belong,”
She tried different alternatives to offer her son a similar experience.
All of those had to be something she could participate in too since João has little motor control. But bikes and other play equipment just wasn’t the same.
“For a long time, I tried to supply this dream,” said Patrón. “Nothing worked.”
João was still bound and determined to skateboard one day.
That was when they learned about an organization called Skate Anima. It was founded with the express purpose of letting differently-abled people experience skateboarding. The founders, a psychologist and physiotherapist, customize each “skateboard” to the needs of the skater.
“They both love skateboarding, and they thought it was only fair that every child could have a chance to love it too: freedom…the adrenaline rush,” said Patrón. “They found a way to make the impossible possible, and since then they have fulfilled many people’s dreams, finding various possible adaptation for people with different disabilities to live the experience.”
Daniel Paniagua and Stevan Pinto think that sports are extremely important for those with physical disabilities.
They’ve designed skateboarding devices for many others. Now, it was time to help João.
Paniagua and Pinto set to work designing a skateboarding apparatus that was perfect for João. Then, in November 2018, it was time to take him to the skate park.
As his mother pushed him around, there was nothing but sheer excitement in his eyes.
He was experiencing everything to the fullest — and he was over the moon.
Since then, the video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. And Patrón couldn’t be happier about the attention. Why? Because it’s teaching the world that everyone should have dreams, no matter what their limitations.
“And so, we are transforming what is normal, what belongs, who belongs, and what is possible,” she said.
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Source: Inspire More, Instagram
