It’s 6 AM. It is a time of day when most people who are awake usually aren’t in the best mood in the world. But not Savanna. She wakes up in a wonderful mood. Her smile starts at the dot of 6 and doesn’t fade until she is back down to sleep.

On weekdays Savanna wakes up at 6 AM to attend her school, CADES, in Swarthmore, PA. She absolutely LOVES going to school. She is very excited to see her boyfriend Max every day!

She starts every school day with the pledge of allegiance and waves her flag for the whole song. The kids learn about the calendar, the letters in their name, the weather and many more daily life lessons. Her brain is like a sponge. She only needs to be taught something once, maybe twice, and she has it locked into that amazing mind of hers.

She also partakes in a lot of services including speech therapy, occupational therapy, vision, hearing and last of all physical therapy.

This last activity, physical therapy, is the field in which Savanna struggles the most. Being non-ambulatory, she is in a manual feeding chair for roughly 85% of the day. She also spends 20 minutes in a stander or gait trainer (both manual pieces of equipment). With her wheelchair and feeding chair not being motorized, Savanna is required to stay in the same spot until someone can push her. She is at the mercy of the people around her to move from one spot to the next. Herein lies the exact reason we would love to provide her with a motorized chair. Savanna has a very strong will and seeks independence whenever possible. This goal for her is all but impossible without motorized equipment.

The chair that we would like to provide her with enables Savanna to use a joystick to get herself around the classroom or home ON HER OWN. It also becomes a stander in which Savanna must spend time in in order to have her hips grow properly. It’s a vital reason that she is needs this chair: to help her bones and muscles grow properly. The chair also has a third position in which Savanna can lay back and lay flat on her back. This helps us change her and tend to her without having to lift her.

At this point in her life, she doesn’t need more toys or books or clothes. In fact, the biggest gift we could ever provide Savanna with is autonomy. She is a determined, fearless kid who would absolutely thrive in a chair she could move, steer and position on her own.

As stated above, her ability to pick things up VERY quickly assures us that Savanna would master the maneuvering of her new chair immediately. Her ability to still surprise us daily with the things she CAN do helps us to not dwell on the things she can’t do. Embracing your gifts, reaching your best potential, and never saying never are just 3 of the many affirmations Savanna has taught us. For those who know her know full well she can do ANYTHING she puts her mind to.

In closing, we don’t ever look at Savanna and say “She will never be able to use a chair that she must master on her own. She is too compromised”. We look at her and think “It’s not a matter of if she can do it. It’s a matter of when.” And as her parents, it is our job to supply her with things that she needs to reach her fullest potential. And the chair does just that. We know in our hearts that when she does drive that chair one day, her smile will be even bigger than it is now. If that’s even possible.

Savanna on the GO

By Savanna Norton

Savanna on the GO

Smile as she goes

Team Members