A five-year-old amputee from Grande Prairie is able to ride his bike with the assistance of a device funded through Warm Amps.

Born a left-arm amputee, Abel Diemand has been utilizing prosthetics since he was seven months old. He received his bike device late last summer.

“To have the bike attachment has been a huge help for him,” said his mother Martha Diemand. “He is able to stabilize and control his bike way better than without it. We’re very, very thankful that he has it.”

According to Diemand, the device provides her son with a level of independence similar to other children his age. She noted that this would be his second bike attachment.

“He likes this one more because he can just literally hop on his bike and go,” she said. “We don’t have to change any attachments or anything.”

The War Amps Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program allowed Abel to get fitted for this device. CHAMP helps pay for artificial limbs and devices. It also hosts regional seminars where child amputees and their parents can connect with one another.

“The War Amps receives no government grants but with the public’s continued support of the Key Tag and Address Label Service, our vital programs for amputees will carry on long into the future,” said Executive Director Danita Chisholm of the CHAMP Program in a release.

Diemand noted that War Amps also helps cover their cost of travel for trips to Edmonton, such as when Abel has a doctor’s appointment. She suggested that other parents of child amputees reach out to War Amps for assistance.

“They are a huge resource,” she said. “They give information, they connect families, they help with financial costs, they can answer all sorts of questions. Anyone with a child amputee, I would very much recommend the War Amps.”