Operation Leo Bike!

Dear Friends and Members of Team Leo: Some of you may remember that Leo had the thrill of powering a bike for the first time during his visit to Dr. Jan in May. The bike that Dr. Jan prescribed for Leo is called a Freedom Concepts DCP16 (see: http://www.freedomconcepts.com/fc_products/f3-bike-series/discovery-series/dcp-16/), and the price will be at least $5000. These adapted bikes not only provide children with physical disabilities like Leo the opportunity to play with their able-bodied friends on a similar footing, they also offer a physically engaged way of getting around. Rather than passive modes of transportation like a power wheelchair or manual wheelchair, the hope would be that Leo would be able to gradually strengthen his legs and arms to self-propel the bike, and perhaps use the bike to get around at school, as a supplement to his powerchair. You may also remember that Jim and Cora entered Leo in a drawing to win a (different, and not as well-suited, but equally expensive) adaptive bike back in May. Leo did not win a bike, and Jim and Cora weren't quite sure how to proceed. They pursued insurance unsuccessfully. They looked for used versions of the bike unsuccessfully. Finally, faced with tens of thousands of dollars worth of disability-related expenses this year, they were persuaded by us to reach out to those who are ready to help Leo get a bike for the necessary support. This letter announces our effort to raise enough money to get our adorable friend Leo a bicycle. If you are able to contribute support, you can do so online through the link at the left. Or you can send a check made out to "C. True-Frost, c/o Dawn Boudria, 522 Quackenbos St. NW, Washington, DC 20011 No amount is too small. We are hoping to be able to order the bike for Leo soon. Leo's Former Caregivers United! Dawn, Liz, and Kayla