Special tricycle gives 11-year-old Banks girl freedom to pedal with siblings

Rebekah Adams wanted pedals under her feet. Nothing else not a scooter, a four-wheeler or a seat on her dad's bicycle could measure up.

Rebekah, an 11-year-old who lives with her family in Banks, was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects brain and nervous system functions. In addition, according to her father, Scott Adams, as a toddler Rebekah was diagnosed with cancer and underwent radiation treatment that further impeded Rebekah's control of her body.

But when her sister Sarah learned to ride a tricycle, Rebekah wanted to join her.

"She tried to ride it, but she couldn't," said Sarah, now 8. "I used to push her."

Adams said balance and coordination are Rebekah's primary problems when it comes to riding.

"Her feet can't work together to pedal," he said.

Scott Adams tried to find alternatives to include Rebekah in the activity. He gave her a bike with no pedals to walk around on and towed her in child seats, but he knew Rebekah wanted to pedal on her own.

Two years ago, when Rebekah and Sarah's mother died after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease, the family took a three-week camping trip to start healing.

During the trip, Sarah learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels.

"The whole time, Rebekah was saying, 'I want to ride,'" Scott Adams said.

Originally posted here:
Special tricycle gives 11-year-old Banks girl freedom to pedal with siblings