Meet Dax
We were so excited when we found out we were going to have twins! We had been trying to have a baby for nine long years and finally our prayers were answered! Twin Boys! Wow! After a great pregnancy, the time to deliver finally came and Jake was born first, then 10 minutes later came Dax!

We knew right away something was wrong, Dax was purple, had no reflexes, and I was unable to hold him before they took him to the neo-natal ICU. After two months, he finally came home. With his healthy brother right there, it became more and more apparent how developmentally delayed he was. Finally at age two, Dax was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a disease that affects thousands of people every year.

The degrees of Cerebral Palsy (CP) are vast, there are many people with CP whose symptoms are minimal and you would never suspect that anything was wrong. There are also many who are far worse off than Dax. As parents, this, of course, was a devastating diagnosis. We wondered what quality of life Dax would have, and how we would be able to meet his needs. None of this could be foreseen, we just had to wait and see. Well, now at the ripe old age of 13, Dax enjoys many aspects of life, especially anything athletic and involving movement! This disease has crippled his body, but not his spirit! Even though he can't walk or talk, personality oozes from every inch of his body! His smile can light up a room and his giggles are contagious! Dax is an integral part of our family, and we are so lucky to have him. He brings us joy every day!

Being able to provide him with some of the joy that he so generously shares with us daily is our wish. We are so appreciative of the efforts being made on our behalf. For Dax, this bike will help him experience an aspect of life that would otherwise be denied him.

Warmest Regards, Charla Haslam (Dax’s Mom)

Learn more about this disease at Cerebral Palsey Foundation of Utah