Walker allows William to start preschool

When William starts preschool tomorrow, his mom won’t have to carry him into the classroom. He won’t have to crawl or ride in a stroller. William will walk into that room independently, with the help of a walker provided by Variety.

At almost 3 years of age, William is just starting to take steps on his own. Down syndrome has caused the toddler to have low muscle tone, and while physical therapists are confident that he will walk – likely within the next several months – he just doesn’t quite have enough strength or balance yet.

William borrowed a walker this summer, and his mom, Christine, says she can already tell a difference in his strength. Variety hurried to order William a walker of his own, so he would be ready to start school this week.

“Just from the look on his face, I can tell he really enjoys his independence,” Christine says. “Now, he can have some independence even though his body isn’t strong enough for him to do it on his own yet.”

Suddenly, Christine has found herself chasing William, along with his 4-year-old brother and 1-year-old sister. “It’s stressful, but fun!”

Christine has seen several other children with Down syndrome benefit from the use of a walker in these early years. Now, the children are walking fine, she said, but this walker is so important for the interim.

Variety provided this piece of equipment for William as part of our Kids on the Go program, which ensures that children with disabilities will be as mobile and independent as possible through the use of medical equipment like wheelchairs, leg braces, walkers, standers and van lifts.

We wish William the best of luck as he starts school!