On Thursday May 25th, two new Therapy SPOT patients received Amtryke adaptive bikes courtesy of the AMBUCS organization.
The newest recipients of the adaptive bikes were Abdiel and Luke.
Both children displayed beaming smiles as they received their new Amtryke bicycles. The presentation of the special bikes was held at the Statesboro Fire Department Station 1 at 24 W. Grady St.
The bikes were assembled by local firemen, Nick Hunt and Cody Hanna, who regularly put together the Amtrykes for the Therapy SPOT group.
During this latest giveaway, Abdiel’s parents were simply overcome with emotion as they searched for the words to describe their son’s life-changing experience of gaining an Amtryke bike.
Abdiel’s mother, Arianny Chavez, described her son’s experience on the autism-spectrum:
“It's a blessing to have AMBUCS give me the opportunity to see my son Abdiel ride a bike for the first time at 4 years old. Pedaling a bicycle is already difficult for children who are not on the autism spectrum to accomplish. So, when a child is actually on the autism spectrum, and attempts to do the same, it might become a near-impossible task. Therefore, children with Abdiel’s condition could never learn to ride a bike successfully, unless they had a specially designed bike--such as this Amtryke--for support.”
Both of Abdiel’s parents shared the mutual sentiment that “if Abdiel is happy, we are happy.”
Likewise, Luke’s grandfather, John Gaines, shared the following:
“Luke doesn’t know how to turn the wheels on a normal bike, so this Amtryke will teach him how to ride a bike successfully, and eventually transfer over into his skills for learning how to drive. It will give him a greater sense of independence.”
“Luke has been wanting a bike for a while. We have been with the Therapy SPOT for 8 years. So Luke finally receiving this Amtryke is a dream come true,” Gaines added.
A few days later, little Jordan became the most recent Statesboro child to receive a new Amtryke adaptive bike on Tuesday May 30th at 9am. Nick and Cody at the Statesboro Fire Department also assembled this Amtryke.
Upon receiving her Amtryke, Jordan beamed from ear to ear, as she rode her new bike in the presence of her mom, Valerie, her little brother, Justin, and the entire Therapy SPOT team. Jordan is a patient of the Therapy SPOT Group and has autism, low muscle tone, and is non-verbal.
Jordan marks the 15th child since December 2022 that has received a bike in the Statesboro area.
Jordan’s mom Valerie shared these sentiments on the giveaway:
“It was awesome seeing Jordan receive her new Amtryke today. She loves being outside and being physically active. This Amtryke will be awesome for Jordan as it will help her improve her muscle tone, her strength, and work through her non-verbal challenges. Normally, it is difficult to find activities that Jordan loves, which also keep her attention. So, this new Amtryke is a great for Jordan to have at home.”
More about the Amtryke
Amtrykes are adaptive bikes for children with mobility impairment, though children may need an adaptive bike for a variety of reasons. Some reasons include having strength deficits, balance deficits, or a lack of safety awareness.
Amtrykes are unique in that they allow caregivers to wield control over the bike, which in turn, gives caregivers more peace of mind.
They cost approximately $1,000 each and can be financially burdensome for the families of these children to bear themselves, especially given the monthly fees and expenses they already incur for pediatric therapy services.
Therefore, organizations like AMBUCS help make these adaptive bikes possible for children to receive through community support and fundraising.
Amtrykes are more than just a cool gadget for these children to ride. They help children better navigate through their impairments over time, especially as they grow through childhood.
One instance of community fundraising being successful for purchasing Amtrykes is Audrey Thomas’s AMBUCS benefit concert, which was headlined by The Hushpuppies Band.
The concert was held on Saturday May 20th and raised more than $6,000, which helped purchase SIX more adaptive Amtryke bikes for local children.
To read more about Audrey’s AMBUCS benefit concert, CLICK HERE.
Waves of change for children with mobility challenges
The Therapy SPOT continues to make waves of local change in the lives of their young patients.
The Therapy SPOT has given away 15 Amtrykes so far. And this number continues to grow rapidly, due in large part to the numerous donations from the local community and various sponsors through AMBUCS.
The Therapy SPOT has achieved such noteworthy success recently, that the National President of AMBUCS, Carmela Davis, paid the group a visit on Wednesday, May 24, to esteem the group over a lunch gathering at Del Sur Taqueria in Statesboro.
And according to attending TS Physical Therapist, Dr. Kailee Sylvester, both Davis and Therapy SPOT team have high hopes for igniting an official AMBUCS chapter in Statesboro in the future.
For more information on the Therapy SPOT, please visit their website at https://www.therapyspotstatesboro.com/.
For more local Amtryke success stories, CLICK HERE.
