Disabled Dad Given Speciality Mobility Pram So He Can Take His Newborn For A Walk

Before his wife Chelsie King, 32, gave birth, he was worried about how he would manage to help her.

But teacher Chelsie had a great idea, recruiting the help of her students at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, USA, to design a wheelchair with a child seat attached, and naming it a Wheestroll.

Just a few weeks after the couple's son Phoenix was born, Jeremy was able to take him out for walks with the pram-wheelchair hybrid - and it was all thanks to their hard work.

Jeremy, from Germantown, Maryland, said: "I was emotional and elated because something like this really increases independence with my child.

"It has allowed me to experience things that I would not have been able to do. It allows us as a family to have more freedom of movement."

Middle school theatre instructor Chelsie said: "Being able to see Jeremy have some independence with our son is a gift.

"This surgery changed our lives drastically and we have worked very hard to accept, learn and overcome those challenged but parenting is a whole new set of challenges.

"It has given us the ability to do something simple like take a walk as a family; something that a lot of families don’t have to think twice about."

Just three months after getting engaged to Chelsie, Jeremy underwent an eight-hour surgery for a brain tumour in October 2017 which resulted in impaired mobility.

He said: "I was very concerned with the safety of myself and our child especially with Chelsie having to potentially support both of us.

"It played on my mind constantly which is why it was important for us to find things to help."

The couple searched for a product to help Jeremy but with no luck, Chelsie recruited the help of her colleague, innovation and technology lab coordinator Matt Zigler.

She asked him if he could design something to attach to Jeremy's wheelchair to allow him to hold their child while on the go.

Chelsie said: "He had the idea to throw this to his 'making for social good' class and I thought that was an amazing idea."

"It is a class for students at Bullis School where they design products that'll help have a positive impact on society."

While working on their idea, the school kids conducted interviews with the family and the fire department, who provide infant car seat installation training.

To create the pram, they purchased or 3D printed all the parts that were needed, and even borrowed a wheelchair from the school nurse as a prototype.

Jeremy, who works in administration, said: "I never thought I would be able to do something safely like taking a walk with my child."

The WheeStroll was completed in time for the baby's birth on March 4th this year.

New mum Chelsie said: "It was really emotional for us to see it completed.

"Our son was a week old when Matt delivered the final product to us and to know that we would be able to use it so soon after our son was born was just a really lovely thought."

Ex-nurse anaesthetist Jeremy said: "When Chelsie and I did research on devices for disabled parents there were not many things available.

"We hope that people will see this story and know there are ways around their challenges and can build this for themselves at a low cost.

"I want to personally thank the students for taking my situation into account and developing this amazing device."