A little girl’s wheelchair gets a Halloween makeover
SALEM, Mass. (NBC) - For many parents, Halloween can be a time to create tradition. A time to look forward to the costumes and of course candy. But for parents of a child with a disability, it can be daunting to think about getting the perfect costume.
However, a group known as "Magic Wheelchair" steps in to save the day and helps provide a few smiles in the process.
The Smith's backstory
When Savannah Smith was four years old, she was diagnosed with Ogden Syndrome.
For further context, Ogden Syndrome is a syndrome so rare only about 100 people in the whole world live with.
"With Ogden Syndrome, Savannah has cerebral palsy, she has epilepsy, she has a heart condition, so she's a pretty complex girl medically," Lacey Smith spoke.
Savannah's mother adds that she doesn't want her to miss out on all the fun that life can offer us. That includes all the mischief of Halloween.
As one remains wheelchair bound, finding the perfect Halloween costume all the more difficult. But, not for this family.
They have been everything from the cast of The Wizard of Oz to a group of Care Bears.
Enter the Magic Wheelchair
This year, they are taking things to a new level, thanks to the non-profit Magic Wheelchair.
Furthermore, Savannah loves music, lights and she also communicates with a program button known as a Big Mac Switch.
"Savannah will hit it to say 'Trick or Treat' and then hit it again to say 'Thank you, Happy Halloween.' We've always tried to give her her own voice as much as we can," Savannah's mother explained.
Her family and friends found inspiration in one place for all of that to come together.
Solidworks
The team from Magic Wheelchair and Waltham based Solidworks went to work building a scale replica of the shiny red chairs that we've all dreamed of sitting in on The Voice, even incorporating the button Savannah uses to communicate.
"Basically, the way it will work is they can program the chair to do something, have text come off, a font, the lights all over the chair. All Savannah has to do is hit the button and the chair will do that," Sara Zuckerman of Solidworks detailed.
Not only that, the design team uses the same software that companies like Tesla and Boeing use.
From castles for a real-life princess to monster trucks and motorcycles, they created it and cut no corners in the process.
"Making these experiences for this families is everyone's favorite part of the job," Zuckerman continued.
To have an open heart
As Savannah and her family set their sights on a busy Halloween season in Salem, her mother says she hopes people in the community are taught one of the valuable lessons that she has taught them:
"To have an open heart and she's really led my path of who I am today."
Even though we may all wear different costumes, we trick-or-treat the exact same way.
