CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — It was a day to remember at the Motion Project Recovery Center in Cheektowaga.
Three-year-old Evelynn Eagen, who was left paralyzed from the waist down by a tumor on her spine as a baby, was gifted a custom-made handcycle bike by the Motion Project Foundation and Scott Bieler President & CEO of the West Herr Automotive Group.
The new handcycle came complete with a customized "Minnie Mouse" helmet and will allow Evelynn to power her new ride by using her arms. The bike also has features for her parents to help steer and push her.
"I think the generosity is overwhelming," Jilynn Eagen, Evelynn's mother, told 7 News Anchor Jeff Russo. "She has a beautiful smile and a beautiful spirit. I think this is going to help that come alive even more."
Jilynn says Evelynn was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was six months old. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that starts in early nerve cells. Evelynn went through eight rounds of chemotherapy at Oishei Children's Hospital and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"The tumor shrunk quite a bit, however, it had already grown into her spine and left her paralyzed from the waist down," said Jilynn
As part of her recovery, Evelynn started attending the Motion Project Paralysis Recovery Center six months ago. She goes through more than an hour of rehab every week.
"We not only help the spinal cord, but we help all paralysis," said Natalie Barnhard-CastroGiovanni, the Founder and President of the Motion Project Foundation who started the recovery center in 2021 after suffering a catastrophic spinal injury that left her as a C5-C6 quadriplegic.
"I think through my journey God taught me that I don't need my physical abilities to help, and once I came to a place of true acceptance I felt this freedom where I was no longer a prisoner in my wheelchair," said Barnhard-CastroGiovanni.
It's that sense of freedom that Barnhard-CastroGiovanni says she is now working to pass along to others through the center that she started. "We are not just a traditional PT or recovery center, we are so much more than that. We are building a community in Western New York for this population that doesn't currently exist."
The bicycle gifted to Evelynn was also made possible as a part of a generous donation by Scott Bieler, President & CEO of the West Herr Automotive Group who attended the event on Tuesday.
"It's heartwarming," Bieler told 7 News Anchor Jeff Russo. "What a beautiful little girl and to see her get on that bicycle and be able to move it immediately, it was just a very moving day."
"I know what it's like," said Barnhard-CastroGiovanni with a tear in her eye. "I just want everyone to feel like they can do anything."
"I think it will really help her be included and integrated," said Eagen. "We have lots of kids in our neighborhood that go for bike rides and go play, and sometimes she gets left behind. It's nice to be able to know we are going to be able to jump on those bikes, go play, and be a kid."
When asked if she enjoyed her new bike Evelynn replied "Yes!" with a big smile.
