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Equipment Makes Boy's Life Brighter

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 10, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - John Reddingius is standing tall again with help from the Pasco Pediatric Foundation.

The organization helped the 11-year-old's family obtain a piece of therapy equipment called a stander after an insurance company twice rejected the request.

John began treatment for lymphoblastoma in August 2005. A malignant tumor compressed the boy's spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Now in remission, John returned to school in January. He seems to have good upper body strength and has no difficulty using his wheelchair, according to a foundation news release.

His physicians decided John needed weight-bearing therapy to improve bone strength and mineralization. Paraplegics are prone to severe osteoporosis in their hips and lower extremities. The doctors deemed the stander a medically necessary home therapy, the news release said, but United Health Care wouldn't help with obtaining the equipment.

The nurse at John's school then contacted the not-for-profit pediatric foundation, which assists children with medical needs that "fall through the cracks," the release said.

"John is a perfect example of what our group does," Heidi Tuttle-Beisner, vice president of the foundation's board of directors, said in the release. "This stander will make a big difference in his life."

For information, call Tuttle-Beisner at (727) 376-4900 or board President Tammy Carlson at (727) 372-5717, or go to www.pascokids.org.

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