Deena's New Adaptive Bike

Deena was granted her very own adaptive, hand-pedaled bike through Athletes Helping Athletes and Roadunner Sports.  She was SO excited to be able to ride with her sisters and have independence.  Anyone who knows Deena also knows she's a bit of a daredevil and she LOVES to go fast.  After talking in length to her physical therapist and her orthopedic surgeon, we decided to go with a hand-pedaled bike.  Though her rods have made her legs beautifully straight and so much stronger, we know that more breaks are in her future.  Since most of her breaks are in her legs, a hand-pedale bike will give her the freedom to ride even if she's in a cast.  We also liked the tricycle type wheel style for added stability and safety, so we ended up with an Invacare bike, just like her sisters have.

Deena's bike came the day before her last rodding surgery, and she couldn't wait to heal enough for a ride.  Between the heat and vacation it took a bit to get her out and on the road, but we've been out for a few rides now and she really is loving it.  It's such an enormous blessing to be able to have ALL of our children out, riding together, and just being kids!

We just want to say a HUGE "thank you" to Roadrunner Sports, their Athletes Helping Athletes foundation, and everyone who donates to their fundraisers.  You have impacted our children's lives immensely and we are SO thankful!

Our Visit to Roadrunner Sports

The girls are SO excited about their debut in Roadrunner Sports for the Athletes Helping Athletes adaptive bike fundraiser.  We were in Phoenix last month on the day everything went live, so I took the girls down to Roadrunner Sports to see their photos and the promotional materials.  They had a lot of fun and felt like celebrities!  The staff was really sweet and gave them the royal treatment.  They even let them go in the back room to help pick out shoes I may like.  They also had them autograph one of their catalogues. We are so thankful to be part of this amazing organization!! 

Here are some photos from our time there:

There's still time to donate to Athlete's Helping Athletes and receive a coupon for $20 off your next purchase of $75 or more.  Visit a store or go online between now and July 3rd to participate.  You can also donate to AHA year-round online, even after the promotion is over.  Just follow this link:  http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/GIVEAHA/&cm_sp=nav-_-AHA-_-donate .  Your donation is tax deductible so just keep your receipt for tax time.  Thanks for helping make a difference in the life of a very special child!! 

Have You Donated to AHA Yet?

We have!!

We are hoping to help Athletes Helping Athletes DOUBLE their goal and be able to provide 200 children with special needs adaptive bikes.  They have already raised enough to grant 50 bikes!!  Please consider going in to any Roadrunner Sports store between now and July 3^rd to donate to AHA.  In return you will get a coupon for $20 off your next purchase of $75 or more, so it’s a win-win.  You can also donate online 365 days a year at http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/GIVEAHA/.


Thank you for your support!!

Athletes Helping Athletes; Help Give a Child the Gift of Independence

Toward the beginning of this year I shared about an amazing organization, Athletes Helping Athletes, that together with Roadrunner Sports not only gifted Madi and Ramya hand cycles, but also asked if the girls would like to be their 2016 Featured Heroes. Of course said "yes" because we wanted to do anything we could to help give back to their wonderful organization. They spoiled us rotten and the kids had so much fun (you can read that story here)! 

 The time has officially come, and the campaign is officially live! We are so excited to share!! You may have seen a catalogue come in the mail with photos of our girls, as well as a snippet of our story. This is the first time AHA has done a three page feature, but they wanted to make sure to tell our family's story. They also made sure to include Conner and Deena, which meant so much to them.

Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA) has been granting children with disabilities adaptive bikes since 2000 and to date has awarded 1,078 grants! They have changed so many lives and have blessed so many children with the gift of independence; the chance to just be a kid! 

This year AHA has a big, important goal, to raise enough money to purchase 100 children bikes, and we want to help them meet it and change more lives.  They have a special promotion running through July 3rd, 2016 with Roadrunner Sports. If you make ANY size donation, in-store or online, you will receive a coupon for $20 off your next purchase of $75 or more. It's a win-win!! Adaptive bikes can cost up to $4,500 EACH, which is why this fundraiser is so important! 

Roadrunner sports (the company that supports AHA) has a huge selection of shoes to get you up and active. I was given a gift card to their store and had the privilege of being fitted for custom inserts. I was also able to pick out a new pair of shoes to use when I work out. I am prone to shin splints and foot pain and, before purchasing inserts and shoes from their store, have never had a pair of shoes that I felt supported my feet correctly. I am in love with my new gear, though. The difference is seriously AMAZING! My feet have never been happier, which is huge for me! If you love walking or running, or maybe you are like me and you have kiddos you help with lifting and transfers and put extra strain on your feet, head to Roadrunner sports and let them help you find a great fit. While you are there, make sure to donate to AHA so they can grant more special kiddos with adaptive bikes! 

You can find your closest Roadrunner Sports store by clicking here or you can shop online by going to roadrunnersports.com. 

 You can also donate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online by going to the Athlete's Helping Athletes tab on the Roadrunner Sports home page or by clicking here. 

Thank you for supporting AHA and for helping bless our girls with adaptive bikes. They really have been life-changing! Before I go, I want to share the promotional video featuring our girls. Could they be any cuter or more full of joy!?!?!?! They sure love Athletes Helping Athletes! I'll be back to post more about that later :).

If you are interested in applying for an adaptive bike for your child, please click here. AHA grants many different types of bikes depending on what that child's needs are and they are amazing to work with. They truly care about each of the children they help!

Our Amazing Time with Athletes Helping Athletes/ Roadrunner Sports

A while back I posted on facebook about our need for an adaptive bike for Madi.  I was trying to pull the girls in my bike trailer, but their combined weight of well over 100 pounds was starting to slow me down.  Madi was unhappy that she had to sit in the trailer and wanted to ride a bike by herself.   We started researching bikes but we had adoption fees coming up, needed a bigger van so we could fit all 4 kiddos and all 3 wheelchairs, and found that adaptive bikes are crazy expensive.  That's when a friend asked me if I had heard of Athletes Helping Athletes.  They had given her child a hand cycle and they were loving it.  I decided to apply for Madi, and she was quickly granted a modified bicycle of her very own.  I cannot even begin to describe how excited she was.  She told everyone we met about her very own bike and how fast she went.  The independence was huge for her self-confidence and she couldn't be prouder or more excited. 

Madi learned how to use her bike very quickly and took off.  Riding her bike is one of her favorite things to do now.  It has given our family a way to be outdoors and exercising together and is truly amazing!!

 

 

 

 

 

Ramya didn't yet have a desire to be off riding by herself, but we were hoping seeing Madi ride would prompt her to want to a bike as well.  We knew the freedom would be important for her self-confidence, but it's also a great form of exercise and a lot of fun!  Sure enough, Ramya started wanting a bike too.  I wanted to apply but hadn't been able to yet as we were in the middle of selling the house and lots of craziness. Amazingly enough, one day the phone rang and it was Athletes Helping Athletes.  They had seen Ramya in Madi's bike video and asked if they could grant Ramya a bike as well.  Of course we VERY excitedly said yes!  As soon as I told Ramya she was beaming!  I quickly filled out the application and before we knew it Ramya had a bike as well. 

 

 

 

It is so wonderful watching the girls ride together.  They encourage each other, race each other, and have a blast!  Conner loves riding with them too and I love that it levels the playing field for them.  They give him some serious competition with how fast they go!

 



 

 



Just before leaving for India I got another call from Athletes Helping Athletes.  They asked if they could feature the girls in their upcoming promotional materials that would be in all their Roadrunner Sports locations and  wanted to name them this years "Heroes".  We knew the girls would love to participate, but also wanted to give back to their amazing organization, so of course we said "yes"!  They had given our girls such a huge gift and we wanted to do anything we could to thank them for their generosity. 

Over the next few months I chatted frequently with their program director, Erin.  She is really an amazing person with a heart for granting kids their wishes of receiving adaptive bikes.  I could tell how passionate she was the first time I talked to her and she was wonderful to work with.  Roadrunner sports spoiled the kiddos rotten and made sure to include the whole family.  They sent them clothes and shoes for the big shoot, and the kiddos truly felt like stars!

 

 

Deena was so excited for her new shoes that she brought them to bed with her.  When I say it meant a lot to them, I really mean it!  Madi was so excited she told everyone she met about how she got a really cool bike and how she was going to be famous. 

 



Monday was the big day.  The program director, a videographer, a photographer, the director of art, and a few assistants came to our house to take photos of the girls and Conner riding together and photos of our family.  They also interviewed each of us and recorded it.  The kids had a blast and enjoyed being in the spotlight for a bit. 

 

Once everything is put together they will create a video to have playing in all their Roadrunner stores during the time they promote their program, Athletes Helping Athletes.  They will also put posters and cut-outs of the girls in their stores and will feature our family in their magazine.  We are really excited to see everything once it is put together and plan on visiting one of the Phoenix stores so the girls can see it all live. 

As soon as everything is live I will post on the blog so you can visit a Roadrunner store near you and see the girls photos and video.  I also want to do a separate post on Athletes Helping Athletes and let everyone know how they can help give back to this wonderful organization that helps so many children!  



A HUGE "thank you" to Roadrunner Sports Athletes Helping Athletes program for this life-changing gift to our family!

 

Ramya's Amazing New Bike

I am SO behind on blogging, and want to post about our exciting news before I leave for India!

A few months back I got a call from Athletes Helping Athletes.  They had given Madi an awesome hand cycle that she LOVES and uses all the time.  When they were reviewing the photos from the event where they gave Madi her cycle, they saw that Ramya needed a bike too, and wanted to know if she was ready for one.  I had been waiting until she showed interest in riding a bike, and of course, once Madi got hers, Ramya was ready!  They had me fill out an application and within the week it was on it's way!  Ramya was SO crazy excited! 

A few weekends back my parents drove their trailer to Tucson so we could bring the bike here.  My dad then assembled it (thankfully it came already mostly assembled), and she wanted to ride immediately!  She and Madi have SO much fun on them together!

We are so very thankful to Athletes Helping Athletes for giving our girls their bikes.  They bring them so much freedom and independence, and there is no feeling better than that!