Polina has finally got her active wheelchair!

Polina (10 y.o.) suffers from severe form of movement disorders. Sometimes she has swallowing difficulties but the worst of all is it’s hard for her to do ordinary movements. Polina can’t walk. Polina was born at 29 weeks of pregnancy. Her weight was a bit more than one kg. She spent the first year of her life mostly in the hospital. The mother gave her up Polina after giving birth. Polina was diagnosed very early with cerebral palsy, she was periodically hospitalized, but her condition worsened. So, the management of the orphanage, where Polina lived, asked the Charity Fund “Doroga zhizni” to help the girl. End of January 2022 Polina was hospitalized at the National Center for Children's Health in Moscow. Two days after Polina was operated and after one week she was discharged from the hospital and transfered to the social center, where she is staying now with her nunny. Orthopedists helped Polina to get back on her feet - now she can lean on her legs and move from the wheelchair to the bed. But there is a long way of treatment and rehabilitation ahead. Polina is very shy of her sluggishness. Doctors believe the best solution for the girl is an active individual wheelchair. Such wheelchairs are autonomously moved by the wheelchair user and are always individually adaptable to the needs of the user: the size of the seat, footrests and armrests are adjusted. They are light and can be moved with less effort. The biggest advantages for Polina are that her back muscles won’t atrophy and she will be able to move the wheelchair autonomously without the help of her nanny. It is very important for shy and timid Polina to maintain her independence till she can confidently stand on her feet. It will give her confidence and courage and we could all support her.