A Lift For Ava

From the moment Ava was born, I vowed I would do anything to ensure she received the care and equipment she would need to thrive in her environment. I vowed I would always make sure she could participate in all moments. From age 0 until now, age 7, I would carry her anywhere she wanted to go. I would be her legs for walking, dancing running- whatever it was she wanted to do, I’d make certain she could. I also vowed; I wouldn’t let her miss a moment. I thought, I’ll simply physically help her body through them all- no matter what.

As Ava started to grow and become taller, sometime around last year, I realized that at a point, I will no longer be able to do all these things for her. This was not something I was willing to simply accept. In fact, it was a fear that lived somewhere in the back of my mind that came sooner than I was ready for. I thought, I just need to get stronger. I just need to think creatively and come up with a new way of assisting her through daily life.

Interestingly enough, and simultaneously, here at LittleWins, we started to get an increase in inquires on starlifts. To be honest, I didn’t know very much about them and always felt a little intimidated by my lack of knowledge. It seemed like it would be a major undertaking to install and a very large expense. I think even more than that, I didn’t want to accept that I couldn’t physically do it all.

I started researching and found that there isn’t very much information out there that would dispel my feelings of inadequacy. For example, when I call a lift company, what are the first things I should tell them? The most important questions to ask? How will I afford it…?

I opened the conversation to members of LittleWins Facebook Forum and received some very solid resources via private message. I also learned; many people needed the same answers as well. So- I decided I would contact our awesome crew at National Seating and Mobility to just get the ball rolling.

As I have said so many times in my life, I honestly don’t know much about this. I’m here for all the information and I don’t believe in such a thing as a dumb question. Please feel free to tell me anything I should do or know if you were me. What I did know for certain was, we really need this and so many others would like to see their options. I then decided to make a video that would give us all the clarity we needed, show the install, and use our personal experience in an effort to help others.

I had the pleasure to sit down with Lynn Ferguson from National Seating and Mobility to get answers to all our questions and got the lift for Ava. It’s an absolute game changer and the look on her face says it all!

It’s not easy to be vulnerable. To fear that someday we won’t be able to do everything our children or loved ones needed at the moment. I believe in the tremendous value of sharing our stories. I believe knowledge is power and in the strength in our numbers… So here it is, my girl got a lift and the freedom to go up and down the stairs whenever and however many times she wants. Her freedom, her form of mobility, her choice in which way she wants to go, and she doesn’t need me to do it. Her smile. It’s huge:)

You can find the full interview on The LittleWins Podcast on all platforms!