These Parents DIY'd A Wheelchair For Their Toddler

It seems like Pinterest and DIY are all the rage these days, but the scope of their usefulness far exceeds marking trends and padding social media. In Alberta, Canada, loving parents made their own wheelchair for their daughter using these online resources and greatly improved the life of their paralyzed child.

During a routine visit to the pediatrician, Kim and Brad Moore received shocking news that would forever change their lives. Their daughter, then four-month-old Evelyn “Eva” Moore, was diagnosed with cancer and doctors determined that the tumor near her spine was inoperable. “You go home and you cry and you come back the next day and be the strongest mom and dad you can ever be,” Kim Moore told Scary Mommy of the experience. Over the following months, Eva underwent eight grueling rounds of chemotherapy, and thankfully the cancer is in remission — but has left little Eva permanently paralyzed below the arms.

Traditionally, children are not fitted for wheelchairs before the age of two. Doctors described that Eva would mostly likely rely on an “army crawl” to explore the world around her. Kim wanted to nurture her child's budding mobility, since Eva is of an age where children begin to explore their surroundings through crawling, cruising, and walking, and a stilted crawl and stroller rides were just not good enough. Kim knew that testing her freedom would be an important part of Eva's physical and mental development.

The undaunted mom began researching other options online, where she found directions for a DIY baby wheelchair. Brad used the Pinterest tutorial to carefully construct the wheelchair using wheels from a children's bike, a Bumbo seat that supports the contours of the little girl's body allowing her to sit upright, and a kitchen cutting board as the base. The total cost of the special chair: $100.

A video by CBC News shows just how mobile Eva is in the homemade wheelchair. Be prepared before you watch it to feel basically all the emotions.

While it took Eva, now 13 months old, a little time to adjust to her new wheels, she has since blown everyone away with her newfound skills. "She looked like any adult or older child would in a wheelchair. She was turning around in circles, backing up," pediatric oncologist Dr. Bev Wilson told Scary Mommy of a recent appointment.

Eva loves her chair and is happy whenever she gets a chance to explore the world around her. Her mom and dad are both impressed with her willpower and adaptability. "She went backwards first and then she went forwards, and then she figured out how to turn," Kim told Scary Mommy. "And now we have a speed bump in the middle of our living room because she just goes that fast."

Images: CBCNews