Tasmanian children with disabilities could soon access life-changing robotic walking therapy without leaving the state, thanks to Woolworths’ annual Easter Appeal.
The supermarket company is raising funds for St Giles to buy a Trexo robotic walker, a cutting-edge device that helps children with cerebral palsy and developmental delays learn to walk through intensive therapy.
Currently, only one disability provider in Australia owns the walker, forcing Tasmanian families to travel to Queensland for the treatment it provides.
Launceston mother Clare Waiss knows the device’s potential firsthand.
Her six-year-old son Felix used the robotic walker for 45 minutes daily over three weeks and experienced significant improvements.
“Access to intensive therapy has meant that Felix was crawling earlier than expected, and now he’s up walking in his walker,” Waiss said.
“Put simply these therapies and technologies are life changing for him.”
“It would be amazing if we could get a Tasmanian provider to purchase a Trexo, and I hope that through this appeal we might be able to make it happen, not just for Felix but for other children who might benefit from it.”
The expensive technology would serve some of the 3,000 children who visit St Giles for therapy annually.
St Giles Senior Manager of Allied Health James Thomas said the walker would benefit children across multiple conditions.
“Best practice tells us that standing and moving can improve body function for children like Felix and those with cerebral palsy,” Thomas said.
“If we were able to purchase a Trexo device, it would have huge outcomes for these children and their families,”
St Giles, who provide allied health therapies, disability support services and assistive technology solutions, has partnered with Woolworths since 2020 to raise over $760,000.
The Easter Appeal runs from March 11 to April 7 and customers can support the campaign by purchasing $2 tokens or donating at registers across Tasmanian stores.
