8-year-old Victoria boy takes first steps with help of robotic legs

Born over two months premature and diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, Elliot Burns of Victoria has faced an uphill fight from the moment he first opened his eyes.

Elliot’s family says the curious eight-year-old has always brought joy to every room he enters, despite the limitations of conventional mobility supports he has had to deal with throughout his life.

“They are all very cumbersome and heavy,” Elliot’s mother, Genevieve Parent, said about the equipment her son has had to use.

“There is very little motivation for him to get onto it.”

The boy’s challenges took a step in the right direction last month, when Parent first learned about a new robotic mobility device.

“I kept seeing this amazing robot device walker, and the kids in the videos looked really excited.”

Parent connected with the product’s designer, Canadian company Trexo Robotics, and the rest is history.

With the use of the device, Elliott was able to stand and walk on his own.

“We held hands and danced,” Parent said. “His demeanour was just showing me that he was so intrigued and so curious and so excited about it.”

Caught up in the moment, it wasn’t until she got home and rewatched the video of their experience that it really sank in just how magical the moment truly was.

“Giving him that extra possibility to discover the world in a way that he doesn’t have the ability to,” she said. “That is what really made my heart melt.”

With what was once thought impossible now a realistic possibility, the devoted mother is determined to ensure that those first steps are just the first of many for Elliot.

“That face, that smile, that laughter is just something I want for him,” she said.

To help Parent purchase the costly device, a crowdfunding campaign has now been launched through the organization Support Now.

The campaign has already raised enough to lease the robotic legs for one year, meaning Elliot’s journey is just beginning.