Biker Bri!

Brielle was born into our family as a happy and healthy little girl in October of 2014. However, over the next couple weeks we started having feeding issues. Our doctor sent us to a pediatrician who had us try different feeding techniques. Eventually, we all figured she would grow out of it. On Friday, Jan 30th, 2015, three-month-old Brielle fell ill due to the Rotavirus. Most infants and young children display flu-like symptoms and recover. Since Brielle was a stubborn eater, she quickly discharged all the fluid from her little body and she started shutting down. Three strokes and dozens of seizures later, our little girl was stabilized and put into an induced coma. We were told she lost three portions of her brain that will not grow back. These portions would affect memory, mobility, speech, and vision. Our only hope was that she is young enough where over time her brain could rewire itself and regain some of these functions. Fast forward seven years. Although Brielle has made incredible progress, her brain injury has left her with significant long-term challenges. Brielle has been diagnosed with: · CVI (cortical visual impairment) Requires the use of glasses and high contrast backgrounds. · Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (epilepsy) Has left Brielle with depth and balance issues that have made walking somewhat challenging. · Stroke (brain injury) Affects her speech and speaks only a few words. Despite all this, Brielle is a loving, caring, happy little girl that has a great sense of humor and brightens up everyone around her. As an active family, during the summer we go on a lot of bike rides. Brielle is too big for a traditional bike trailer and gets overheated since it is mostly enclosed. We are currently using a seat on the back of dad’s bike which works well but he blocks her view. When she tries to look around him, the bike will suddenly drift in the direction she leans. This is not safe as the bike trail is frequently used and we could hit someone or ride off the trail. The XRover by Tadpole Adaptive checks every box on our wish list. It’s well built, has an open design to keep cool and the rider can see everything around them. The harness looks very comfortable and has a lot of room for Brielle to grow into for years to come. With your help, you will make a fun adventure into a great one!