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Charlie Berghoffer Charlie Berghoffer is a 12-year-old boy who is described as always looking dapper, an old soul and a fun kid. “He loves the adult interaction more than the younger. I think he likes to learn from them,” said his father, Charles. Charlie loves to laugh and have fun with his sister. “He’s trying to be a normal kid as much as he can as far as his ability to do things,” said his mother, Page. Charlie has hemiplegia cerebral palsy which means spasticity only affects half of his body. For Charlie, his right side is weaker than

Samantha Govitz describes her three-and-a-half-year-old sons, Remi and Everett, as polar opposites. Remi and Everett have cerebral palsy. Because of this, they’re not able to sit, stand or walk unsupported. “Everett is the quiet, observant, take it all in kind of guy,” said Samantha. “While Remi is a social butterfly and is kind of mischievous. He always wants to take off on his own.” They love going for walks in their neighborhood, enjoying the community splash pad with their wheelchairs or gait trainers and riding their Freedom Concepts adaptive tricycle. “Of course, these activities look a little different than

Amy Makar is a 10-year-old girl who always watched when her friends and other kids were riding their bikes. Now with her Freedom Concepts bike, she can be like any other kid. Amy has spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. Because of her diagnosis, Amy has no use of her legs and can’t move them on her own. “She can walk with bracing,” said her mother, Jennifer. “Lots and lots of bracing.” Amy received her EHDU16 handcycle as a gift from the Sweet Julia Grace Foundation. When asked what she wanted, Amy

Vinita Phartyal describes her 6-year-old son Akshat as a happy boy who loves going to the beach, the park and riding his Freedom Concepts adaptive tricycle. “He’s a social butterfly, he loves meeting people,” Vinita said. “He’s always happy and smiling, at school, at home, everywhere.” Akshat has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a form of cerebral palsy that affects all of his limbs with mixed tones. “He’s not able to walk or sit on his own, I need to be behind him on the floor,” said Vinita. Akshat first tried a Freedom Concepts adaptive tricycle on a one-week trial

Samah Darwish and Naser Alnaser describe their 6-year-old daughter Giselle Alnaser as a social and silly girl who loves music, going swimming and riding her Freedom Concepts adaptive bike. “She’s very social, she loves being around other people, especially kids,” Samah said. “She has a silly sense of humor and she loves it when people act silly.” Giselle was diagnosed with CAMK2B gene-related mutation when she was two years-old. The gene affects a certain protein that affects the communication between the brain and the nervous system. “It’s a very rare disease that has only just recently been discovered, and

Ashley Fowler describes her four-year-old daughter Jaley as a brave, strong, silly and sassy little girl. “She makes everyone who meets her smile,” Ashley said. Jaley was diagnosed with Zellweger syndrome, a genetic disorder, at 15 months old. “It’s considered terminal, with half of the babies born with it not seeing their first birthday,” Ashley said. Due to Zellweger syndrome, Jaley has bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss, vision problems, high liver enzymes and hypotonia, is non-verbal and can’t stand or walk. Ashley signed up for the Great Bike Giveaway in February with the hopes of raising enough money