Help Melea get Her AS2600 Adventurer Adaptive Bike

My name is Liz and I started this fundraiser for my beautiful little cousin Melea. After hearing how much she loves riding this bike but could not have one at home because they could not afford the ridiculous cost, I had to do something, so I asked her mom to share their story. Help me help them get this little girl her dream bike.

My little lady Melea is 7 years old and is on the spectrum. She is non-verbal and also has Sensory Processing Disorder. Melea was diagnosed with ASD in 2021 at 3.5 years old. Most parents know when something isn’t right. . Despite pleas for help from our medical professionals I failed to receive answers to my questions and concerns about Melea’s behaviour and mannerisms. So it began, the fight for my Melea.

Diagnostics, therapy, equipment, and funding has proven to be challenging for any family trying to navigate the red tape, political agendas and a flawed medical system. Statistics Canada reported that currently 1-2% of our population have autism, 1 in 66 children and youth between the ages of 5 and 17 which accounts for approximately 135,000 people in Ontario with Autism. Although funding is available, Ontario aims to fund a mere 8,000 people and the remainder are on an endless waitlist. Studies have shown that intensive therapy for a child on the spectrum can cost upwards of $90,000 annually.

Since Melea’s diagnosis I have become a constant advocate and voice for Melea’s needs. Fighting for such basic necessities as assistance in caring for Melea, eligibility for a school bus, begging for 1 on 1 support with the Autism Resource Team at school, ensuring Melea was fed at school, requesting increased safety measures to ensure Melea is not wandering off school premises and pleas to receive the proper Occupational and speech Therapy for Melea. This may seem like reasonable and rational requests but unfortunately it comes with challenges. Most of the additional necessities come at a cost: 1 on 1 lessons, camps, equipment and teaching aids. All services geared towards autistic children costs more.

Thankfully, this year Melea has made some progress and mostly thanks to the addition of a new personal support teacher at the school who introduced Melea to the Adventurer Adaptive Bike. Melea absolutely adores it. She puts her helmet on, gets on the bike and just soars. To most this does not seem like an exciting moment but to a parent of an autistic child this will bring tears of joy. All attempts with regular bikes failed and actually proved to be dangerous for Melea. Every time she would try pedaling her feet would slide and slip off and she would then jump off and hold the handle bars and pull it along with her as she walks. The wheels would bump into her ankles and legs. To see your child frustrated and defeated over a task that would come easy to some kids is heartbreaking. Just another thing that she cannot enjoy. When her PST told me about this bike I was confused at how she could get her to ride a bike and we could not. Little did I know it was totally different. Completely adaptive, it has a full seat, the pedals are like slippers that keep her feet on the pedal so she can do it without her feet slipping and sliding, a seatbelt to keep her strapped in, there is a handle at the back of the bike to help steer the bike in case she needs it. One of the greatest features is that it can grow with her, it is good for adults up to 225lbs. Mrs. M said she takes her and loves it because of the excitement on Melea's face. When she is having a rough day because of meetings or the board is giving her a tough time on something she takes Melea for a ride and the joy Melea has riding it makes her day so much better. If Melea sees her in the hallway she runs up to her and puts her hand on her head and she will say to Melea, "Mrs. M does not have the bike right now we will go tomorrow." Melea will then cuddle her and she says its the sweetest and can’t resist, so she goes to get the bike to take Melea for a ride. They have a tough time getting her off of it. Seeing the excitement on Melea’s face brought us so much joy knowing that our baby girl finally expressed some happiness. At that point Miro and I were committed to purchasing one of her own until we realized the shocking price tag. The bike, the one my little girl loved to ride, the one she has so much fun on was $7000 not including all of the add-ons, the type of seat, the type of belt, he colour, the steering option, the brake option, the type of pedals, shipping and taxes. My heart broke, I wanted to cry. I could not afford to get this bike for her, what family could. The government does not provide assistance for these, unless she has physical and severe disabilities. How does someone charge $7000 plus for a bike? Why is equipment for children and adults with special needs cost so much? With the growing numbers of children on the spectrum why isn’t more government funding available? Why does a bicycle for a child without disabilities cost $100 and a bike for a child with disabilities cost 70 times more? Why do I have to continuously fight for every single thing for her? Why do I have to fight to help my child live a life that others enjoy at a fraction of the cost? I know Melea will benefit so much from having this bike. I can go on about the struggles, battles and tears we shed for Melea but the truth is what she needs to thrive we cannot provide. The saying “It takes a village” holds true right now. I am here asking for help to get Melea this bike, to make her summer a fun one, to help her enjoy riding a bike just like her little sister, just like her friends. I am also hoping that this will inspire other families to ask for help to make their little ones' dream come true, just like Melea. In circumstances where our children can’t express themselves it is so important that we become their voice, advocate for them and help them enjoy to their fullest.

Perhaps this is the start of something great! In my attempt to help my baby girl we could be helping others in the future. The beginning of my legacy! Melea's fight! Help me help them!

We thank you but most of all Melea thanks you.