Yahoo LifestyleIntroducing the Upsee: A walker that helps children with cerebral palsy take their first steps
Mum creates a groundbreaking harness that allows wheelchair bound children to walk and kick a ball for the first time
A mum who was told her son 'didn't know what his legs were' has created an amazing invention that will help him, and children like him, walk for the first time.
The Upsee harness was created by mum Debby Elnatan to help her young son Rotem, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound.
And now her invention is available for other parents to help their children with similar conditions to take their first steps.
Debby spent years trying to create a way to help her son walk, after finding it too difficult to hold him up on her own. She hit upon the idea of a harness that attaches the child's feet to the parent's and allows combined movement.
There is a specially designed saddle which helps keep the child upright and feeling secure, as well as leaving the arms free for playing.
Debby explained: "When my son was two years old, I was told by medical professionals that he 'didn't know what his legs are and has no consciousness of them'.
"That was an incredibly difficult thing for a mother to hear. I started to walk him day after day, which was a very strenuous task for both of us. Out of my pain and desperation came the idea for the Upsee and I'm delighted to see it come to fruition."
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Maura McCrystal and her five-year-old son Jack, from Draperstown in Northern Ireland, have been some of the first to try the product.
She said: "Last Sunday was a significant one for us as a family as it was the first time our son Jack was able to play football in the back garden with his dad, his brothers and our little dog Milly.
"To see Jack playing like any other five-year-old boy made me very emotional. Jack and his brothers so enjoyed it."
Experts have applauded the creation, saying in the shortterm it improves quality of life, and bonding with the family. And longterm, it could have the potential to improve physical and emotional development.
Find out more at Firefly and Friends.
