Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/438368
56 | JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2015 nshoremag.com Last summer, writer Alexandra Pecci took her daughter Chloe to Crane Beach as she has on so many occasions. This time, how- ever, things ran more smoothly thanks to the beach-mobile that helped the two of them get from the car to a spot in the sun. Nor - mally, because five-year-old Chloe uses a walker to ambulate, beach- day terrain is full of challenges. Being a writer, Pecci sent a letter of gratitude to The Trustees of Res - ervations for making their beach day what it should be—a pleasure. Her words must have sounded a bell somewhere in the universe, because the very next day SMILE Mass delivered one of their Mobi- chairs to the same beach. In 2000, SMILE (Small Mira - cles in Life Exist) Mass founder Lotte Diomede had her first son, Nicholas. Within 12 hours of being born he underwent brain surgery. Ever since, his mobility has been compromised. "At first, I was an - gry and upset and had the why-me attitude," says Diomede. "Then I realized how exhausting it is to be angry and upset all the time." She decided to channel her emotions into something positive. As Nicholas grew older, Diomede saw a need for special equipment to help him do the things other kids take for granted. She discovered that despite a law that requires playgrounds to have handicapped-accessible swings, most playgrounds do not. She found herself driving an hour to a playground that had a swing her son could use. She questioned that rationale. Then, she got to work. "I became part of the change I want - ed to see happen," she explains. In time, Diomede discovered that the equipment Nicholas needed was a financial burden; a specialized tricycle costs four times what a regular one would go for. Likewise, a stroller was a $2,000 investment. Insurance deemed such equipment "not medically necessary," so they would not cover the cost. "We just didn't have that extra money to get him a bicycle," says Diomede. "But using special equipment was the only way Nicholas could do things like go for a walk in the woods." Frustrated, Diomede went to Sudbury's Parks and Recreation to ask if she could hang a swing for the disabled. During that effort, she won a $25,000 grant and raised another $140,000, with which she funded the building of a wholly accessible, award-winning playground. Next came amphibious beach wheelchairs, which were put in place so nobody needed to be carried across the sand or into the water. Initially, it was Cape Cod beaches that received the chairs. Now, they have spread across Massachusetts and will continue to do so. "There's just something about the beach that makes things peaceful, and everybody deserves a beach day, despite a disability." For their loaner program, Diomede and co-founder Susan Brown purchase equipment for loaning, free of charge. They start - ed with the beach chairs but now offer tricycles, strollers, and, soon, high-performance running stroll- ers, kicksleds, and bath chairs. "We are increasing our loaner program," she notes. Ultimately, a delivery system will be put in place. "The idea is to make life easier for families with members who have mobility issues." Most of their current fundrais - ing efforts are aimed at buying a house on Cape Cod that can be turned into an accessible rental. Diomede makes clear the mis - sion of SMILE Mass: "We want to be the change that allows families to have healthy, happy memories despite disabilities." CONTACT smilemass.org photograph by Joanne Pearson BY KILEY JACQUES Lotte Diomede and Susan Brown make life a little easier for families challenged by a member's limited mobility. Lotte Diomede with her son, Nicholas in a Special Needs Freedom Stroller On the Move