Annapolis Nonprofit Getting Hospitalized Kids Mobile Again

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
brDate: December 4, 2017

Wy’s Rides uses their retrofitted ride-ons to break the monotony of hospitalized life and get pediatric patients up, out, and moving again!

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Wy’s Rides, a newly minted nonprofit organization, celebrated Giving Tuesday with a delivery of unique ride-ons to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The 20 wagons and pedal cars allow patients tethered to 24-hour IV medications, or fluids, the chance to get out of their room with only one other caretaker.br

brFounded by Christine and Bryan Rex following their two-year-old son, Wyatt’s, successful cancer treatment, Wy’s Rides attaches a proprietary hitch to ride-on equipment and allows pediatric patients tethered to IV poles the opportunity to get out of their room.br

br“It’s a parents best friend, it’s a nurse’s best friend, anyone [who’s] a volunteer, people who are trying to provide normalcy to the kids,” commented Kyra Georgas, a Childlife Specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. “They’re pulling those kids while maintaining safety with that fixture to connect to the IV pole.”br

brAt nine-months, Wyatt was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma and the family spent the majority of the next year of his life hospitalized undergoing treatment. During their time at Hopkins, Christine and Bryan saw first hand what a wagon or car ride did for Wyatt’s mental state. Shortly after Wyatt’s first birthday, Bryan designed a hitch that was capable of attaching to Wyatt’s IV pole without interfering with his 24-hour medication cycles.br
br br“Spending as much time in the hospital as we did, you unfortunately see a lot of kids who have both parents working, or from single parent situations,” added Wyatt’s dad and Vice President, Bryan Rex. “So our ride-ons allow these same kids the chance to get out of their room with just one parent, nurse, or volunteer.”br

brThe Hopkins fleet of 20 ride-ons marked Wy’s Rides introductory fleet, after launching the nonprofit this past July, and was largely financed by support from community members in and around Annapolis. Wy’s Rides has also garnered support from Mercedes-Benz of Annapolis, part of the MileOne Autogroup who donated seven iconic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL children’s pedal cars to the Hopkins fleet.br

br“Since the basis of Wy’s Rides is ride-on and car focused; it’s a natural partnership”, said Mercedes-Benz of Annapolis President Brian Fader. “This is an organization dedicated to meaningful quality of life improvements for hospitalized children and we’re excited to be furthering the mission.”br

brWy’s Rides is hoping to fill Washington’s Children’s National Medical Center, Anne Arundel Medical Center, and other regional hospitals with similar ride-on fleets in the coming year. br

brLearn more about Wy’s Rides by visiting wysrides.org.