My Story
I was born with hip dysplasia, but it came to light only in 2007 when I was 37 years old, and I started to get lots of pain. I was sent to Melbourne to an orthopaedic specialist and since then I have had over 20 procedures and operations. I have had a pelvic bone reconstruction and both hips replaced, I still get pain and manage this with medication.
Spica chairs came about as I was searching the internet in 2016 about hip dysplasia and found items that parents had made for their children who were in a cast. It was very sad to see, so I spoke to my husband and with his help decided to work out how we could go about making this time in a cast and brace easier and better for both child and parents.
So I got in touch with an orthopaedic surgeon in Hobart, Tasmania, who put me in contact with the Physiotherapist for children at the Royal Hobart Hospital. We worked together to make sure the design was correct, and then the journey began. I did all the costings and organizing to start to make some chairs and because they are so big we decided it would be beneficial to make them as a flat pack.
I do not receive any government funding for my chairs. I am largely self-funded, but do have help from some wonderful clubs, parents, and friends, which I appreciate so very much.
I have so many enquiries about my chairs from all over the world, including other states of Australia. So I decided to set up this website so no child will have to go without. I do hope that the families that use the plans and make a chair, pay it forward, to help others.
SORRY, but we make my chairs available only in Tasmania, on loan, free of charge, state wide. BUT you can donate $2.00 and receive the plans from us, so that you can make your own. The donation of $2.00 is hoping that it will cover the cost of keeping this website going.
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