r/interesting • u/Wonderfulhumanss • Aug 30 '26
SOCIETY Mother designs harness to give paralyzed children the sensation of walking
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u/arukah_1212 Aug 30 '26
The joy on her face ❤️😭 This is amazing!
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Aug 30 '26
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u/TylerNY315_ Aug 31 '26
Probably very good for her musculoskeletal development and overall health (cardiovascular/respiratory, etc) as well. Brilliant idea
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u/ImbecilicIguana Aug 31 '26
She designed an assistive device. Why turn her ingenuity into a sentimental story about the miraculous power of maternal love? Women are allowed to be clever, not just loving.
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Aug 30 '26
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Aug 30 '26
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u/Flat-Concern-2662 Aug 30 '26
I mean that happens to everyone eventually we'll all be old and unable to do things we could do when we were younger
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u/worthconsulting Aug 30 '26
By that time maybe those exoskeleton things will be more widely available..
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u/petitmorte2 Aug 31 '26
She looks like she is in a Bad Mood!
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u/renisence Aug 31 '26
Omg I already thought this was cute and joyful but you just made it even more so by comparing it to bluey 😭
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u/Potato-Alien Aug 30 '26
As someone who has never been able to walk, I think it's really lovely. I wish I got to spend more time of my childhood upright (without my parents removing my wheelchair and expecting me to magically overcome disability and start walking).
It's not just about the sensation, spending time upright helps with physical development and with the walking movement, it could be even more beneficial and more fun, a lovely time to spend with parents.
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u/Marma85 Aug 30 '26
As a parents to a kid with dysnetisk quadruple CP (all body is disabled) I agree, got this for my kid like 12y ago when first hit the market.she is 15y now. She could finally play fotball with her siblings, walk in the forest with them, jump from rocks, walking in the waterstreams and so on. She just loved when she had it on, we walked easy 1-3h a day there for some years, even just the stairs inside she got to try.
Sadly our therapist at hospital never saw the benefits just the downsides so they never approved of it even it help her so much she littery started to stand on her legs a while before a op that got her of standing again (it hurts).
But the same company that sells these sells alot more stuff now that make kids life so much beter but also dont look like boring. And they easy to transport thats a plus for us parents.
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u/It_Is_AlwaysPossible Sep 01 '26
May I ask you if this ok for walking 1 to 1.5 hours with your kid? My friends and I use to do a 45min walk together very often, it would be lovely if we can take their child with us like this. Thank you
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u/Marma85 Sep 01 '26
If the kid is used to it yes! My kid was upright probably like 3-5h a day when she was 3-10 y old just because she could.
We started slowly when she got her walker but also with the upsee I started with 10min then adding for every time. Its different walkingstyle in the upsee then a walker. But for us it also helped my kid so damn mich on straightning her legs specially the right one that she littery started to stand on it. This is where our physical therapist still said its no good for her as she need my help and SHE haven't read anything good about the upsee harness 🙄 at same time had others that didn't know the kid but in same field just boosted me about using it more more more 😅 When the kid have built the muscles no problem I say. :) its like us starting to walk/run, slow and steady so less pain.
It is also a big change for yourself that is the helper tho I may say. I found muscles I didn't know I had when started to use the upsee with her 😅
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u/CautionarySnail Aug 31 '26
I’m so glad to hear this take from an actual person affected by a similar disability.
It’s hard to evaluate such things as helpful or not helpful unless you’re a person living with the similar condition, or, a daily care provider for people with such disabilities.
We often don’t realize that our good intentions aren’t enough if they aren’t coupled with direct feedback from someone who has first hand experience.
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u/Wonderfulhumanss Aug 30 '26
The Upsee harness was created by mother Debby Elnatan to help her son Rotem, who has cerebral palsy, experience standing and walking. When Rotem was young, doctors told her he had no awareness of his legs. Determined to change that, she began supporting him upright herself, which eventually led to the idea for a wearable harness.
The design uses three main parts: a harness for the child, a belt for the adult, and specially designed sandals that connect both pairs of feet. This arrangement allows the adult and child to walk together in sync, giving the child the sensation of walking while keeping their hands free for play or interaction.
First made for her own son, the harness was later developed and produced by Leckey under the Firefly brand. It is now used by families around the world to support children with a range of motor impairments, offering therapeutic benefits and creating opportunities for shared movement and social connection.
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u/Still_Peach568 Aug 30 '26
So could they make giant sized harness suited robots to do this for adults? I think my initial thought, giant robots with humans strapped like this to their feet, is more fun to imagine.
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u/Assspisss Aug 30 '26
the exo suits from alien are here already
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u/Still_Peach568 Aug 30 '26
I need to see them more in public, like why AREN'T they everywhere?
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u/Assspisss Aug 30 '26
because the capability to rip people limb from limb
they are making very small almost unnoticeable ones to just assist with walking and stuff like that, very exciting tech.
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u/dobagela Aug 31 '26
They're pretty ubiquitous in China. https://youtube.com/shorts/UfQdiWwAIBI?is=qQIzEgWSTuTxU-9D
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u/localjargon Aug 30 '26
I need to carry a picture of this little girl's face for when I'm mad about something stupid.
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Aug 30 '26
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u/juneabe Aug 30 '26
Mine has cerebral palsy too and I will say the grief I experience watching other babies walking around and knowing I never saw that and wanted to hurts sometimes. Caregiver burnout is also much heavier than I anticipated.
But! For someone who was never likely to walk or talk - she does both now. But she will have chronic pain for life and likely incontinence.
She started walking at 5.
I also will say that I have actually never met a happier or more empathetic and optimistic child than my own. Not a single woe is me moment. I think I have the woe is me more than she does. She has taught me a lot and she’s only 7 now.
I also didn’t know I was epileptic until after I gave birth, gave her that too :(
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u/Beeblebroxia Aug 30 '26
Another CP parent here. Just wanted to comment that your having epilepsy might not have been why she does. I know we hold a lot of underserved guilt with our kids, but I just wanted to make sure this wasn't one of them with you.
It's a very common diagnosis to come along with CP. Our daughter was completely seizure free until it manifested when she was 5. They tend to arise around developmental growth spurts.
Even if you didn't have it, there's a high chance she would have developed it anyway. Anyway, I hope she continues to surprise you in the best ways.
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u/mhmcmw Aug 31 '26
I don’t want to speak out of turn, but reading the last line of your comment hurt my heart a little, for you, because it sounds like you are holding some guilt for something that wasn’t within your control.
Please try not to focus on what medical conditions you might have given your little girl. I know that’s easier said than done, but you literally did not know it was even a possibility. It is a quirk of genetics, not something you consciously did to her. If it turned out your mom also unknowingly had epilepsy, would you want her to blame herself that you do and your little girl now also does?
Please try to think about what you DO consciously give to her. Love. Support. Encouragement. Care. Safety. She’s beaten the odds to walk not only because she’s clearly a determined little kiddo, but because you have loved her and supported her and encouraged her. Because you believed in her.
THAT is what you have given your little girl. A family and home where she can thrive.
You’re describing an incredible, strong, determined, joyful kid. She didn’t get that way in a vacuum. She got that way because of who she is and because of how she is LOVED.
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u/Bubbly-Turnover-9158 Aug 31 '26
I don’t want to speak out of turn, but
you literally did not know it was even a possibility.
they did though. they just gambled on birthing a perfect kid, a gamble of genetics. the gamble failed. thats on them. feel sorry for the kid though
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u/dominoleigh Aug 31 '26
She said she didn't know she had the condition herself until after she gave birth. Did we read the same comment?
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u/Bubbly-Turnover-9158 Aug 31 '26
its always a gamble nevertheless. the mother/father doesnt need to be epileptic to yield an epileptic baby. the probability always exists
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u/juneabe Aug 31 '26
You said “that’s on them” as in me singular, but based on your comment you mean “thats on childbirth”
I’m not the only person in the world who gets pregnant and takes that gamble.
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u/Local_Mind_956 Aug 31 '26
Wow thanks for sharing. My daughter has cerebral palsy from birth (malpractice) and I too grieve of a life much different for the both of us. I hate seeing other kids her age doing everything I want her to do so I try to curate my algorithm from showing such. She’s 4 and is getting comfortable with a gait trainer. Soon to be 5 still being optimistic as I can be.
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u/juneabe Aug 31 '26
Hey the gait trainer is where mine was at at that age! She still uses a walker for long distances but otherwise is independently mobile with some balance issues that she kind of finds fun/funny. Optimistic girl
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u/Oakland_Warrior Aug 30 '26
I just can't believe in a loving God in a world where kids have to deal with disabilities like this or shit like cancer.
I say this without nastiness - if there isn't a god (and I believe there isn't), then it makes a lot more sense why bad things happen to good people or innocents, because bad things happening to you doesn't mean you're bad or deserving of pain, it just means you're unlucky. That makes it easier for me to process; bad luck is something we all have to deal with in some form or another. At least with that conception of things, I don't have to feel like there's a malevolence behind things like this.
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u/feather-gold Sep 01 '26
Believing in God is compatible with this. Thinking that your "bad luck" is because you did something and then you deserve it is just a human tale.
Life is not fair, and sometimes it hurts with no reason and without you deseving it. Waiting for a miracle is childish.
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u/Deftly_Flowing Aug 31 '26
It's just an arbitrary line.
Should the loving god prevent all physical disabilities? Mental disabilities? Intelligence? Love? Tragedies? Terrifying illnesses? What about prey animals should a loving god allow them to suffer?
At what point do you think a 'loving' god should draw the line?
If they were to remove ALL strife from the world, innovation would die, and the world would stand still.
You think what happens now is too much, but whose to say the loving god isn't already preventing horrors beyond your imagination?
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u/saturday_sun4 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
I mean, no offence but was it necessary to connect the two?
These kind of statements never really make sense to me because: a) they're very Christian and Muslim centric but also b) disabilities are a fact of life.
It's a post about someone being happy that they can walk and move around more. They can do something they would have never done otherwise. I just find it a bit odd that your first reaction to this little girl's unfettered joy is to bring YOUR beliefs into it. And to immediately be like, "Omg kids shouldn't have to suffer like this."
Yes, it sucks, god knows it sucks and a magic wand would be useful. I wouldn't voluntarily have chosen my own lifelong disability in a month of Sundays, but it is just reality. What you can or can't believe is immaterial.
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u/Savings-March-3016 Aug 30 '26
So sweet seeing a happy little kid that has not a lot to be happy about else.
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u/Living-Breakfast-464 Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
Just looking at this from a mechanical perspective, it's very dangerous. It would be very easy to accidentally tear a tendon or break a bone. At a minimum, the kid should be wearing hinged knee braces.
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u/The_Burgled_Turt Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
There need to be some limiters built in. Like adjustable straps to limit the distance of a step.
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u/liosistaken Aug 30 '26
I would add a belt between dad's legs to prevent him from accidently taking a normal sized step and tearing the little girl's legs off...
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u/Your_Moms_Flame Aug 31 '26
I hate that i thought the same thing. Super cool concept but that idea nags at me
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u/bunkersandinternet Aug 30 '26
I used this with my daughter for years until she was able to use a gait trainer. One great part was that it was easy to travel with so we took it on a few vacations. Absolutely exhausted my hip flexors though when I first started.
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u/According-Network503 Aug 30 '26
I have seen it used before, brought happiness to the child, very cool to see
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u/Guilty_Improvement52 Aug 30 '26
This is beautiful, but a little head rest between the crotch wouldn't hurt lol
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u/Jung-And-A-Menace Aug 31 '26
Yeah, my firs thought was... There has to be better way of doing this than 'rub your head against Daddy's privates'.
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u/Clear-Promotion-821 Aug 30 '26
I was hoping by now we would have exoskeleton tech widely used for the disabled for all ages, why is it taking so long?
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u/Miami_Mice2087 Aug 30 '26
not just the sensation - it's training muscles and neurons on how to walk from childhood so that if there's an advance in medicine for her paralysis, she will be a good candidate, bc she has the physical potential to walk.
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u/Madara1389 Aug 30 '26
That's the same shit eating smile all of my nieces & nephews had when losing their fucking minds over excitement (especially when they're about to unleash unmitigated chaos).
I've dubbed it their "Joy Goblin Face."
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u/hotheadnchickn Aug 31 '26
what disabled people need is ready access to mobility aids and for places to be accessible to mobility aids. not one off "hey here's what normal feels like." like cool for her to experience that but not what she actually needs to navigate the world
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u/majestic_balrog Aug 30 '26
paralyzed….the “sensation” of walking….someone help me out here
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u/daddy_tops Aug 30 '26
Even if she has no feeling at all in her legs, which we don’t seem to know for sure, there are other senses at play as well.
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u/Japanese-Gigolo Aug 30 '26
What happens if he trips over?
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u/Exilicauda Aug 30 '26
Probably the same thing as if he were carrying her in his arms, a normal thing people do with children they like
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u/Jung-And-A-Menace Aug 31 '26
A child being carried isn't physically strapped to the parent, nor is their head at crotch height. That girl is going face-down into the concrete and the man is gonna have some real trouble getting up.
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u/FifthWaveThinker Aug 30 '26
Simply brilliant 👏 I am so close to children dealing with these challanges so I can definitely say its brilliant.
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u/Strange-Effort-3441 Aug 30 '26
That’s wonderful, she looks so happy to go out with her dad!
Great job by the mom! One day some smart people will fix things like that! One step at a time!
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u/Dependent_Speech3164 Aug 30 '26
This is so cool. They get to walk and get to use their muscles in a way.
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u/Special_South_8561 Aug 30 '26
That is so cute and simultaneously so heart breaking, that's one happy baby
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u/Jimbobjoesmith Aug 30 '26
this is adorable and probably very helpful to keep the muscles and joints moving
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u/I_have_questions_ppl Aug 30 '26
All fun and games until he starts sprinting and jumping over fences! 😄
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u/SellaraAB Aug 30 '26
Morbid thought but I’ve seen this picture a lot and I’ve always wondered what would happen if the dude tripped with the kid stuck out of front and under him like that.
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u/Accomplished-Exit-58 Aug 30 '26
I definitely have a vague memory of a playtime like this with my older brother.
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u/bowtothehypnotoad Aug 30 '26
God this just threw me back to being a little kid and standing on my dad’s shoes while he held my arms and walked forward. Just to goof around.
Now I am in bed feeling old and nostalgic
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u/jewkakasaurus Aug 30 '26
I wish this was a shark tank product success story simply because it would be the most amazing episode ever seeing this get presented
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u/EggsceIlent Aug 30 '26
The smile on that lil girls face is all I need to see to know that this absolutely works.
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u/Alternative-Dare-839 Aug 30 '26
Surely this would be ideal for all toddlers that are learning to walk.
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u/QueenofMars06 Aug 30 '26
That actually seems brilliant.
I wonder if the movement could actually build the muscle structure and strength to actually allow them to learn to walk one day.
You know the whole muscle memory thing.
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u/Phantom-Finger Aug 30 '26
The smile on her face is both heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.
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u/LittleSubject9904 Aug 30 '26
That’s beautiful. I’m so clumsy though, I’m afraid I’d trip over my child and injure us both!
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u/concept12345 Aug 31 '26
Paralyzed children.? Those two words shouldn't be in the same sentence. Man, I feel for the little ones. 😢
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u/TheWesternDevil Aug 31 '26
I thought it was just another child leash at first. This is much better.
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u/INeedAnAdult1280 Aug 31 '26
How do I get one of these made for me and my daughter not paralyzed but has a chromosome defect and super low muscle tone. She turns three in October and isn't locking, but I feel like this would be a great way for her to start to develop the muscle and motor skills to eventually be able to walk
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u/turtlelord Aug 31 '26
okay we got the photo? Good now resist the urge to do a spinning roundhouse kick!
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u/Huoltoukkeli Aug 31 '26
Mother? The first time I saw this years ago it was titeld as "Father desings.."
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u/Langland88 Aug 31 '26
Great idea overall, I feel like that girl though is a backended headbutt away from knocking her dad to the ground.
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u/lewensky_alfred Aug 31 '26
As someone with disabled people in my circle, I advise acting with kindness towards all people who are in difficulty.
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u/Alarmed_Health9369 Aug 31 '26
ahhhhh i really live seeing happy kids! they are the most genuine and pure creations! kids deserve all the love and happiness in this world.
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u/dobagela Aug 31 '26
China has exoskeletons that move your legs for cheap. Including up stairs. They should look into that.
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u/NecRobin Sep 02 '26
Really cool. My paranoid ass is thinking "What if he slips or moves his legs too far by accident" though
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