{"id":27750,"date":"2021-12-23T23:09:05","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T23:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmshub.wpengine.com\/?p=364618"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:14:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:14:06","slug":"mom-gives-elf-on-the-shelf-a-wheelchair-for-daughter-with-genetic-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/mom-gives-elf-on-the-shelf-a-wheelchair-for-daughter-with-genetic-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom Gives \u2018Elf On The Shelf\u2019 A Wheelchair For Daughter With Genetic Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Elf on the Shelf has become a very popular Christmas tradition over the years. Parents move the elf around each night, so that their kids can wake up and find him. Kids know to behave, since the elf is always keeping an eye on them and will report their behavior back to Santa Claus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two-year-old Stella Lackey is one of those kids who enjoys having their elf, Bean, in the house, but now that the elf looks just like her, it\u2019s even better.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stella was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that affects her motor function, and gets around with a purple wheelchair and pink ankle-foot orthoses.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Stella received her first Barbie doll, who was in a wheelchair, her parents witnessed her confidence grow. From then on, her mom, Samantha, knew how important it was for Stella to be represented in the toys she plays with.<\/span><\/p>\n

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That\u2019s when she came up with the idea to put Bean the Elf in a wheelchair like Stella\u2019s, along with a nasogastric tube, which carries food and medicine to the stomach through the nose. Samantha even filled Bean\u2019s tube with hot chocolate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stella\u2019s face lit up when she saw Bean in his wheelchair and loves the fact that he is just like her.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Samantha shares Bean\u2019s adventures on Instagram, in the hopes that it will help people have conversations about those with disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cYes this is a silly little tradition that I am doing for my daughter for the first time this year, but I truly hope that it starts a conversation that we find really hard to have with our kids,\u201d Samantha told ABC News<\/a>. \u201cHaving a conversation about seeing someone in a wheelchair or seeing someone use a mobility device, it\u2019s hard for us as parents when we\u2019ve never had to have these conversations before, so if you can start it with Elf on the Shelf, why not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: YouTube\/Good Morning America<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think bringing inclusion and normalizing disability is going to only make our kids a little kinder when they see someone with a disability,\u201d she continued<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to follow Bean the Elf\u2019s antics on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n