‘Baby’ Pia now cruises in a chic, custom-made Mercedes: “She is doing well, but has little strength in her lower legs” (Wilrijk)

A shiny new Mercedes toy car, meanwhile covered with stickers to taste: with it Pia returned home on Wednesday. As part of the Go Baby Go project, Vives University of Applied Sciences completely converted the cart to Pia’s needs. For example, the pedal was replaced by a push button on the steering wheel. The goal: to allow Pia to move independently. Because the baby from then has become a big toddler of 3 years.

“Since the start of the medication, she has gone through a very good development. Pia has good control over her upper body, but she has little strength in her lower legs,” says mom Ellen De Meyer. Since September, Pia has been going to school in a wheelchair. “She is doing very well. She is enthusiastic and has a great urge for independence. In that respect, this car is of course an improvement.”

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For the Go Baby Go project, Vives has been collaborating with the University of Central Florida in the US since 2016. Since then, the university has already converted some thirty electric cars for children with disabilities. This is done by students of the healthcare technology, speech therapy and occupational therapy courses, and thanks to donations.