How Wizzybug Helped Tia To Play Independently

Tia suffered a brain trauma when she was six days old and her paediatrician warned her parents that it would result in brain damage of some degree.

So, when she was diagnosed with whole body cerebral palsy at 6 months old, they were prepared. What they weren’t prepared for was the news that she would probably never walk, talk, crawl, sit unaided or feed properly.

Tia is a determined little girl but her lack of independence meant that she was unable to do the simple things that most other children take for granted. She couldn’t push her dollies in her pram. She couldn’t go and get a book to read or play like her peers.

Her family first heard about the Wizzybug Loan Scheme when they saw a video on Facebook of a little boy using one in a park with his family.

After a lovely morning spent with the team at the charity Designability, Wizzybug went home with them and Tia was so excited to have her own Wizzybug which she calls “Wizzy”.

To begin with, their furniture took a bit of a beating and their dog hid under the kitchen table for days, but it wasn’t long before she had mastered a three point turn!

For the very first time, she went over to her bookcase to choose a book and pushed her dolls pram all by herself.

Tia is now able to drive Wizzy all the way to her bedroom and follow her mum and dad into another room without having to wait for them to push her.

The biggest difference has made is to her confidence - thanks to Wizzybug even her speech has improved.

You can find out more about the Wizzybug Loan Scheme for children with a disability here: www.wizzybug.org.uk