Everett’s Freedom, A Race With a Twin
Four-year-old Everett Doming raced his twin brother down their driveway on his Freedom Concepts bike for the first time, leaving his mom Danielle Doming in happy tears.
“It was cool because it allowed for that connection that I feel like sometimes is difficult having a twin disabled and a twin that isn’t, but they were able to find common ground and you could tell they were so happy about it,” said Danielle.
Everett has Cerebral Palsy and a visual impairment; he uses a wheelchair and walker for his mobility as he does not independently ambulate.
“He’s a very typical four-year-old boy, in a lot of ways,” said Doming, “He’s a happy guy, he loves music, he loves his family. He likes his toys, anything that lights up or plays music.”
To sum it up, Danielle said, “he is a joy.”
Everett received his Electric Green DCP12 after getting it funded by contributions from three separate foundations.
Doming said they worked with one of Everett’s physical therapists at Napa Centre in Boston, Massachusetts to get the bike funded.
“She connected us with somebody (at Freedom Concepts) who helped with the funding, and it was a really smooth process,” she said, “It’s hard sometimes to have the time to look into all the ins and outs of those things and obviously having a child with a disability things are expensive with therapies and all that. It was really cool to know that we were able to get him a bike so that he could be riding with his brothers, and it’s been awesome.”
Riding his bike has become one of Everett’s favorite activities, Doming said he lights up at the mention of it and is smiling and laughing every time he rides it.
“I think to have that independence with being able to pedal around and be outside with his brothers, he just absolutely loves it any chance that we get to bring him out. He’s thrilled, so it’s been amazing.”
Danielle said she gets teary thinking about her sons riding their bikes together.
“It’s those little things that I pictured my twins doing together when I found out I was going to be having twins, and just being able to make that happen even though it’s in a different way than we might have pictured it was going to be. It still is, at the core of it, just as simple as that; just two brothers riding their bikes together, bonding.”
Everett’s bike not only has family and fun benefits, but it also has therapeutic benefits that will help him in the long run.
“I think it’s great in that aspect, just him being able to pedal and use his legs in a different way. He doesn’t have that typical output that toddlers need with getting that energy out,” she said, “He definitely feels looser in his joints and all that after he’s on his bike for a while pedaling around and I think I’ve seen increase in strength too.”
Danielle said that she would encourage anyone thinking about a bike to reach out to their PT or Freedom Concepts.
“Do it. Get the process started because it’s 1000 per cent worth it.”
