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Bike day at Beaumont Hospital for children with special needs
Through Beaumont's Bike Day program, kids across metro Detroit each got their own custom bikes designed around their specific needs.
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - Today was a special day for more than 100 kids with special needs in metro Detroit. Through Beaumont's Bike Day program, they each got their own custom bikes designed around their specific needs.
"We just want to see him happy and have fun, and it's neat to see him make friends like him; it's just awesome," said Alex Pluff, father of one of the kids. "We are getting this new bike for him that should work better than any of the other bikes we tried to rig together and generic tricycles."
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These bikes can be expensive and are not covered by insurance costing families up to $6,000.
"28 years ago, my wife and I had triplets, born prematurely, and my son has cerebral palsy. So at 3, his sisters were riding a bike, and he needed one, so that's how this all started," said Hal Honeyman, an adaptive bike tech.
Once the kids outgrow the bikes, they can return them so they can be outfitted for the next child in need.
"These are kids that are in rehab services at Beaumont. And every year the Children's Miracle Network raises funds to pay for these bikes for these families," said Charlotte Alex, Dir. of Children's Miracle Network, Beaumont Health Foundation.
The Center for Children's Rehabilitation teams up with the Beaumont Foundation and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to brighten these kids' lives every year.