By Caroline Waterhouse | Broadcast Reporter
Addie Wolfe is a four-year-old girl who loves “Moana,” cheerleading, soccer and crafts, but those activities take a little more effort for her.
Addie Wolfe was born with chromosomal disabilities that resulted in her having a sacrococcygeal teratoma when she was a baby. She had to have surgery to remove it at only two weeks old.
“That was a scary process for us because we were first time parents, had no idea that we would have a baby that would have special needs or abnormality, and so it was terrifying,” said Addie Wolfe’s mom, Stephanie Wolfe. “You know when you go into the doctor because you find out you’re having a baby and you want to find out what gender it is, and you think that’s all that appointment is going to be and then you leave because you’re sobbing because you don’t know what’s going to happen to your baby.”
Stephanie Wolfe said the first ten months of her daughter’s life were spent in the NICU/PICU, where she had a tracheotomy to help her breathe. Addie Wolfe doesn’t have any muscle tone or head control making everyday activities such as sitting up impossible by herself.
Since Addie Wolfe has a medical stroller for a wheelchair, Stephanie Wolfe said insurance did not provide her with a specialized chair that would support her body.
Huntsville senior Taylor Ernst started an organization called Baylor Helping Hands, that raises money which provides medical equipment to families in Waco. The group also helps set up ramps for wheelchairs and well as delivers the equipment to the families.
“I started it because my best friend had cerebral palsy and we started out with a Go-Fund Me. We needed $750 and ended up raising around $6,800,” Ernst said. “So with the extra money I figured that there must be a ton more people in the community who need help and are being overlooked.”
Addie Wolfe’s parents reached out to Baylor Helping Hands after hearing about it from a friend and within only two weeks, the club raised the $3,800 needed for Addie’s chair was raised and delivered it to her house.
Addie Wolfe is now able to do some of her favorite activities such as watching movies without someone holding her head up. With the mobility of the new chair, she can be lowered to play on the ground with her seven-month-old brother, Lawson Wolfe.
“I hope that it (Helping Hands) continues to grow and honestly just show Christ’s love to those with disabilities in the Waco area until all needs are met,” Ernst said.
