Born with cerebral palsy, 8-year-old Atticus Edmunds rarely shows emotion.
But his parents found out of his need for speed when they took him to the skatepark and he could not hide the sheer joy on his face.
It was back in January when they “dropped everything and loaded up the car” and headed to the skatepark. This was after they heard of another dad pushing his son in a wheelchair who had the same condition as Atticus.
Though they never tried it before, they knew Atticus enjoyed the sensation of moving super fast.
After his first skating experience, said enthusiastically, “The was great! That was fantastic! That was crazy!”
Ever since then, Atticus has considered himself a skater.
“There has never been a roller coaster too fast or a swing too high for Atticus,” Atticus’ dad, Jared Edmunds, told TODAY.com. “He can be a little daredevil when he wants to be.”
The little daredevil was born weighing only 2 pounds and 2 ounces.
Falling but getting back up
Just like any other skater, Atticus took a spill but it was nothing too serious.
“He got spooked, but decided he was a skater and skaters get back up,” Tresa wrote on Facebook.
Big day at the skate park today. Atti got recognized and other kids were giving him high 5’s while other parents were… Posted by Reese Dixon on Saturday, February 6, 2016
Skating has helped develop his social skills; other kids who frequent the skatepark have been cheering him on saying, “Ride until the wheels fly off, Atticus!”
“The other skaters see Atticus as a skater first and a kid in a wheelchair second,” shared his dad, Jared.
This has helped Atticus open up more verbally and emotionally.
“He gathered up his courage to try reading out loud,” his mom Tresa wrote on her blog.
“My job as his mom is to protect that sweet, brave spirit. To make sure that he never gets discouraged enough to give up,” the proud, loving mom wrote. “All day long I’m trying to make up for how hard the whole rest of the world is by telling him how much I believe in him.”
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