Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Annual Review Home

Monday, 24 September, 2018.

Carter is a beautiful four-and-half year-old. He’s the kind of kid that has a little bit of spark, he draws him into you. He has a bubbly personality and he loves being around people. Carter also has cerebral palsy.

His cerebral palsy is a result of an acquired brain injury from contracting a virus in hospital when he was just three days old. Carter lives with tight muscles in his arms and legs, vision impairment, and is non-verbal. This means he can’t do things a child at his age could normally do.

Since Carter was 16 weeks-old, he and his family have been supported by Cerebral Palsy Alliance. They’ve provided counselling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and helped the family navigate the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

In 2016, Cerebral Palsy Alliance received a $66,300 grant from the Charitable Foundation to purchase specialist equipment for its Central Coast and Hunter Centres, including the Wizzy Bug.

Carter and father Alex, Wizzy Bug program participants. — Carter, Wizzy Bug program participant.

Kid first, disability second. It’s tremendous... it’s brilliant and really cool.
- Alex, Carter’s father.

“The Wizzy Bug is this amazing first-wheelchair for children aged from 18 months. They’re bright red and look like a lady bug and have modified controls depending on the child’s needs.

“They’re really great for the children to start working on spatial awareness, independence, and getting children ready for powered mobility or a wheelchair. Plus, they’re really cute to look at,” Cerebral Palsy’s Angela Dives said.

“Carter starts school next year, so the fact that he’s using the Wizzy Bug is really important and really exciting. He’s learning to navigate and manage his speed and doing extraordinarily well using the Wizzy Bug,” Angela continued.

“This Wizzy Bug, it’s an item that Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the families who use them could never afford to purchase on our own. They’ve been such a great inclusion to our therapy sessions; the children use them in the clinical environment and then the families can take them home to continue the therapy there.

“This grant from the Charitable Foundation has provided us and our families with access to first-class equipment that will probably have better outcomes for them in the long term,” Angela said.

Carter’s father, Alex, is animated as he explains how the Wizzy Bug has made a difference to his son’s life.

“The Wizzy Bug is fun! It’s this bright red thing with eyes on it. As soon as Carter gets in it you can see he gets this smile on his face. He can reach down and grab the joystick and push it forward and he can move,” he said.

Carter has two siblings, a twin sister Milla and an older brother Hudson. The family lives in a cul-de-sac where Carter’s two siblings often ride their bikes with other children from the neighbourhood.

“Before the Wizzy Bug, Carter would sit on his mum’s lap, not doing too much, and watch the other children play,” Alex said. “But now, he’s able to get out and be in his Wizzy Bug, and he can drive around at his own pace, learning the navigation skills with his peers and siblings around, and they’re riding their bikes and scooters, and now Carter’s in there, he’s a kid.

“Kid first, disability second. It’s tremendous… it’s brilliant and really cool,” Alex finished.

See how the Wizzy Bug has changed Carter and his family's lives.

ALEX GOODWIN

Carter is a beautiful four and a half year old. He's the kind of kid that has a little bit of spark. He draws him into you. He's got a real bubbly personality, loves being around people.

Carter also has cerebral palsy. It means that he can't do the things a normal four and a half year old can do. Carter has vision issues, he's non verbal, but he's working very hard on sign language, he can say ‘more’ and ‘finished’, which is just amazing after working so long on that.

He has epilepsy, but a beautiful, beautiful personality.

ANGELA DIVES, CEREBRAL PALSY ALLIANCE

Carter is a twin and he will tell you all about his 'twinny' that's what he calls her, his sister. He starts school next year so the fact that he's using this Wizzy Bug is really important and really exciting.

Wizzy Bugs are these amazing kind of first wheelchairs that children get to use; they look like a little ladybug and it's really great to start working on spatial awareness, mobility, being able to get out in the community and they're really, really cute to look at.

ALEX GOODWIN

The Wizzy Bug is incredible. It's this really cool piece of equipment that Carter can use himself. It's a tool to help with his navigation skills, his mobility his social development, but it's fun! As soon as he hops in you can see he gets this smile on his face; he can reach down you can grab the joystick and he can push it forward and he can move.

Just to see when we take it home, we've got a little cul-de-sac where we live, he's a kid. He gets out, he can be in his Wizzy Bug, he can drive around in his own pace, he can learn those navigation skills and he's got his peers and siblings around him and they're riding their bikes and their scooters.

Before Carter would be sitting there on his mum's lap not doing a whole lot, generally not being happy. Now he's in there, he's a kid first, disability second. It's tremendous, it's brilliant and it's really cool.

So to have the Charitable Foundation provide a piece of equipment like this is going to benefit so many families.

Thank you very much from my family.

Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation annual review 2017/18 — Carter and father Alex, Wizzy Bug program participants.

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"Kid first, disability second"

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