Let's Get Bruin Some Robotic Legs!!

Meet Bruin, who makes his home in Centreville, NS, with his loving parents Andrea and Eric Pothier and his doting older siblings Lukah and Piper.

Bruin’s story began on April 30, 2020, when he was born 6 weeks premature. Having sustained a traumatic brain injury during labour and delivery, Bruin spent his first month of life in the NICU at the IWK, where he fought to stabilize his precarious health, with only Andrea able to be at his side due to COVID restrictions. Over the coming months, Bruin was diagnoses of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation and lack of blood flow, and Cerebral Palsy, a condition that affects his gross and fine motor skills. Consequently, Bruin is non-verbal and is not able to move independently. He has, and continues, to engage in extensive rehabilitation, targeting all areas of his functioning, but the extent of his HIE and Cerebral Palsy means he will always require extensive support with his movement, regardless of how much rehabilitation he does.

Since the day he was born the Pothiers have been singularly focused on meeting Bruin’s extensive needs and showering him with love and support. They have been his biggest cheerleaders, devoted caregivers, his advocate and his voice. But sometimes it takes a village to meet needs, and this is one of those times. Not having the ability to walk, Bruin recently trialed (and rocked, I might add) Trexo robotic legs, a robotic mobility aid that would give Bruin the freedom and joy of movement that he cannot achieve on his own. The physical benefits are many – helping Bruin develop leg and core strength and weight-bearing capacity, improving his endurance and giving him a way to exercise his body, all of which would help to improve his overall physical wellness. However, being able to ambulate independently with the robotic legs would also allow Bruin to more fully integrate socially, an area that is an overlooked challenge for kids like Bruin and their families. Being able to walk alongside his peers and his family, rather than being pushed from behind in his wheelchair would enable him to interact with others and experience the world similar to his non-disabled peers, the benefit of which is beyond measure, while being able to walk would give him an independence that he simply doesn’t have right now and contribute to his overall development.

The challenge is that Trexo robotic legs come at a price, a $41,000 price tag. Although publicly funded programs and medical insurance covers many expenses for kids like Bruin, they often don’t cover items that are intended to enhance the quality of their life. Unfortunately, Trexo robotic legs are one of those items. So, we are turning to the community at large, Bruin’s village and beyond, to secure the funding necessary to purchase Bruin Trexo robotic legs, which will grow with him throughout his childhood. Bruin is a little warrior who has overcome hurdle after hurdle to be where he is today. The Trexo robotic legs would be a gift that would allow him to more fully live the life that he has fought so hard for. If you would like to learn more about Trexo robotic legs and their benefits or see sweet Bruin in motion, please take a look at the attached link and the pictures/video.

https://www.trexorobotics.com/who-can-use-the-trexo/

On behalf of Bruin and the Pothier family, thank you for reading and considering a donation.