For most kids, riding a bike around the neighborhood with your pals is a rite of passage. For 12-year-old Tim Bannon, who was born without arms, it has been an unfulfilled dream — until recently.
“For as long as Tim has been able to verbalize his opinion, he has always said that he wanted to do things like everyone else,” says his mom, Linda Bannon.
Enter the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS)–Midwest team at Shriners Hospitals for Children–Chicago, which has been a part of Tim’s care since infancy.
When Tim showed India Jacobson, his certified prosthetist-orthotist, a video of a child with a disability riding a bike, she jumped at the chance to help Tim achieve his dream.
Jacobson created a custom bicycle brace that uses the rear section of a thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) back brace and connects with straps to PVC material that slides onto the bike’s handlebars.
Tim is now able to ride his bike with his friends, and Linda Bannon is grateful to the pediatric orthopedic specialists who helped him get there. “Shriners Hospital has worked with us every step of the way to support his development and ensure he is able to fully participate in life.”
