NORFOLK, Va. — For some children, the best Christmas gift doesn't come in packages, boxes, or bags. It's the gift of mobility.
Britany Brown said her son, AJ, was born with a condition that has created a lot of challenges for him. She said every day would be a struggle if not for the organization known as C.A.T.S.
"AJ is not meeting the milestones of standing alone, crawling, or walking. Those sorts of milestones start around age one," said Brown. "C.A.T.S provided us with a 'stander' where he could stand up and he could eat and he could color he was able to do some of the things that normal one-year-olds would normally do on their own."
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C.A.T.S stands for Children's Assistive Technology Service. It's a nonprofit that raises money to help children like AJ learn to move around.
"We take in gently used equipment for kids like walkers, wheelchairs, standers, and bath seats. We refurbish them we clean them and then we offer them to families whose insurance company denied it they don't have insurance or need to try it for a certain period so we can determine if it's the right piece of equipment for them," explained Missy Rose, the Clinical Director for C.A.T.S.
Rose said going through insurance can be a headache.
"The problem is once insurance approves it, it takes so long to get to them that the kids probably wouldn't need it anymore. They would outgrow it," said Rose. "If they're working through therapy and they're progressing steadily it's very possible that a child could use equipment for a very short period."
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Rose said buying this equipment without insurance is not cheap.
"Nothing is inexpensive and even with equipment for small little children it could cost $1,000 a piece," said Rose.
This year the organization received over $2.25 million in equipment value.
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"We went from giving out 1,200 pieces of equipment this year to 1,500 and that relates to 1,500 families that we've helped," said Rose.
For some children, Santa Claus came early when they received their equipment before Christmas, like baby Amelia who received a stander to help her sit up.
"Between this and the wheelchair we have for her already we have a little thing for the bathtub also very very helpful it helps make things 100% easier," said Hannah Brassard.
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Rose noted that giving these kids equipment serves more than one purpose.
"This is also helping them with their breathing and their digestion it helps with every system not only that but it helps with their self-esteem now they can be at eye level with their siblings or their peers," explained Rose.
