Alden Kane, 16, a high school senior at University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit, Michigan invented a custom stroller that allows wheelchair-bound mothers to stroll with their babies.
Sharina Jones, who was the first to use the new invention, said: “A lot of my friends have babies and they are out, running with their babies in the stroller and I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’”
Sharina Jones has been a paraplegic, using a wheelchair to go about her daily activities. The now-35-year-old has made helping other wheelchair users a life mission — delivering wheelchairs to children in Third World countries through her non-profit organization, Think Beyond the Chair, and motivating others through her blog, Push Goddess.
Kane started the stroller as a school project in the spring semester, but it quickly grew into something bigger and applicable. It took him a lot of hard work and dedication to come up with this stroller. Kane said he worked for several hours after school every day for six months to come up with the device — drawing plans, making prototypes and testing out different materials. Kane’s real motivation was getting the stroller ready in time for Sharina Jones’ due date. Jones had her baby in the summer.
“The biggest priority is to make it safe for the baby, of course,” said Kane.“ And then, also you really want to make it independent for the mother.”
Kane plans to make the custom stroller available for a wider audience, bur he is currently looking for funds to produce more wheelchair strollers.
