Bethany’s Cabin Bed Steps

In August 2017, At only 13 months old, Bethany suffered a stroke. This developed into a brain aneurysm and she had to undergo brain surgery to stem the bleed. Bethany has been left with a weakness down her left side known as left side hemiplegia – a form of Cerebral Palsy Bethany’s Mum, Alice describes this time:

“It was like our whole world turned upside down and is something no parent should ever have to go through. Bethany does not have full use of her left hand. She undertakes physio and OT and attends all her medical appointments with the courage she has shown throughout all this. She is such a happy little girl, an utter delight, and we would not have her any other way.”

Fast forward a few years and at 5 years old, Bethany is quickly becoming a confident young girl wanting more of her own independence. Bethany’s parents had bought her a new cabin bed as she was outgrowing her previous one, but they soon discovered that she was struggling to come down the steps safely on her own. The steps were too steep for her and, as a result, Bethany’s nights were disrupted and mum and dad were anxious about her injuring herself if she tried getting down on her own.

After hearing about Remap from an Occupational Therapist at their local council, Remap volunteers Derek and David from Kent visited Bethany to see if they could devise a solution. Derek and David soon came back to Bethany with a set of bespoke steps which would make it easier and safer for her to get up and down them herself.

Mum – Alice, explains the difference getting Remap’s help has made:

“She is now up and down the stairs like a yo-yo!! They have helped her immensely, and she can get in and out of her bed without us helping her.”

“We bought her this new cabin bed as she was outgrowing her old one, so it is great to see her using it as she should be. She just looked so so happy, which in turn made us happy. She was always nervous coming down, but now she is so confident in doing it.”

At Remap, we believe in making things possible for anybody with a disability. Our volunteers design and create custom-made support aids, to help people like Bethany gain more independence.