A BICYCLE FOR MARIA
Maria Prahofer is 13 years old and lives in Austria. She has Morquio Syndrome Type A. For therapy her mom and dad constructed a bicycle to suit her special needs that would allow her to be able to ride for longer distances and go up those difficult hills. To do this they needed to recreate a bike with large enough training wheels as well as an auxiliary engine - hydrogen drive with a gas lithium cell to make her bike go faster. This needed to function easily for Maria by a push of a button considering the weakness in her wrists and hands. The brakes are electrical which also helps to make stopping easier for Maria.
First attempt with small
wheels
Through trial and error it finally worked and now adds a lot more independence and fun for Maria. The exercise from the biking keeps her legs strong and gives her a cardio workout too!
For more information on how they put this bicycle together contact Maria’s mom,
Michaela Weigl at:
