The parents of a 4-year-old girl are eagerly awaiting the delivery of an innovative Quebec-designed rehabilitation device that could enable her to learn to walk and will no doubt make her more independent.
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Romie-Rose shows developmental delays both physically and mentally. She is currently unable to communicate verbally but has started speech therapy sessions.
“She doesn’t have a specific diagnosis yet. It could be a rare or even unique case. She had genetic testing, but we were told not to get too hopeful that we might end up in a gray area. It could be a new case. We hit the jackpot,” explains his mother, Julie Petitclerc-Hoffmann.
“I quickly said to myself that I would raise him like my other two children, but of course with his limitations. And at the same time, a diagnosis is like putting it in a box and putting barriers on it. We will do everything to make it go as much as possible, ”adds Saint-Basile’s mother in Portneuf.
To learn
The little ball of energy that moves everywhere on all fours needs a runner to develop further. Currently, she can only walk with her hands up.
“We tried walking aids in the IRDPQ [un peu avant les fêtes]. Two weeks later our physio emailed us. On the following Saturday, a new company would introduce its product. There were only two families there,” Ms. Petitclerc-Hoffmann recalls.
The product in question is Levity from Montreal-based Ora Medical.
“Compared to the other models, it was day and night. I left confidently,” says Ms. Petitclerc-Hoffman.
Photo courtesy of Ora Medical
Shortly before the holidays on the IRDPQ, Romie-Rose tests the Levity of the young Quebec company Ora Medical.
The levity holds the child by the waist. Unlike other models for learning to walk, the child has their hands free. He can play, push a ball with his feet, draw, do handicrafts.
During this time he also develops his leg motor skills, which would otherwise only be possible in the presence of another person.
“It will change their lives, their parents’, the workers’, a liberation and for them and for us. She just wants it to rise. Currently, I spend my day bending backwards, holding my hands and walking around the house,” said the lady who was due to be one of the first to receive the device in March.
Financial Impact
After her parental leave, Julie Petitclerc-Hoffmann wanted to return to work. But Romie-Rose’s condition prevented it. And other problems arose.
“My friend had a heart attack at the age of 41 at the beginning of the pandemic. He had a thyroid problem and didn’t work for two years. He was just diagnosed with narcolepsy. He still has his driver’s license [de conduire], but the future is not necessarily bright. I believe that my purpose in life is to take care of the world,” says the mother philosophically.
“There are additional costs for a disabled child, many appointments in Quebec. I was never rich, but I always got along. This year, however, an application for food aid was made. It was hard to admit that we were there,” the lady admits.
To raise the money to purchase the device, which is not yet reimbursed by the RAMQ, the family launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe. A spaghetti dinner with DJ and singer will also be organized on January 28th at the Saint-Basile community center.
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