Neve’s cute arm
“Neve is a spunky nine-year-old girl who has a strong personality and is always thinking of others,” said mum, Juanita.
When Neve is not spending time with her loved ones, she is enjoying her arts and crafts or the outdoors.
During a routine 18-week morphology scan, it was discovered that Neve would be born with a congenital, transradial limb difference. “Neve’s left arm terminates 8cm below the elbow. We call her little arm her ‘cute arm’ because it was/is so small and cute. The language around difference is incredibly important,” said Juanita.
When Neve was three years old, she received a bike for Christmas from Santa which she loved and rode all the time. As Neve grew, it became difficult and uncomfortable for her to ride on bigger bikes as it was affecting her posture.
Juanita wanted to find the right solution for her daughter, Neve. Fortunately for her, an employee at the local bike shop had assisted her greatly. “We had gone to look for an ordinary bike but the gentleman at the bike shop who had a congenital limb difference as well, had suggested to us Freedom Solutions Australia – a place that creates custom equipment,” said Juanita.
With the help of Freedom Solutions Australia Volunteer, Chris Chambers and the team at APC Prosthetics, Juanita was able to get the solution she wanted for Neve. “I couldn’t believe it. We were finally doing this for Neve!”
Cameron, Neve’s prosthetist from APC created a socket for Neve’s ‘cute arm’ to slide into, providing a base plate into the prosthesis that would easily attach to Neve’s adjustable handlebars. Freedom Solutions Australia Volunteer, Chris then designed a brake splitter attachment for the right side of Neve’s bike to ensure her handlebar brake controls both front and rear brakes.
Juanita praised Chris for his commitment perfecting Neve’s unique solution. “Chris was really great to work with.” Juanita continued to say, “The final attachment now looks so sleek and attractive, Neve loves it.”
“We are super happy with the result. The attachment has enabled Neve to ride a bike happily and without her back hurting. It was just magic the first time we rode around the block together, you can’t imagine how doing this simple activity was so special after all of the problem solving to get the right attachment. She now confidently rides on mountain bike tracks… and fast!”
When asked what she would say to families looking for a solution for their child’s unique needs, Juanita said “A parent knows what’s best for their child, you just need to find the right people to help. There are so many talented people out there that can use their amazing skills to turn your vision into a reality, just like they did for our family! We are incredibly grateful for the time, talent and compassion of Chris Chambers at Freedom Solutions Australia and Cameron Ward at APC.