DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Children with developmental delays are now able to benefit from a new climbing wall at a physical therapy center in Decatur, largely due to the persistence of a gregarious 5-year-old.
After years of asking, Lucky McMahon was able to convince Decatur Memorial Hospital to build the wall at its Sports Enhancement Center on North 27th Street.
"He loves it," said Lucky's mother, Paula McMahon. "He doesn't know it is a workout. He just knows it's fun."
Lucky needs the climbing wall for his weekly therapy sessions. He was born with hydrocephalus - which Paula McMahon describes as "water on the brain" - and climbing can help build his strength and mobility.
"Two years, he has been going... every week we've been in, asking for a climbing wall," she said. "The wall is to build his strength up."
Lucky's physical therapist, Lindy Miller, said the climbing wall will help not only Lucky, but other area children that have developmental delays.
"The large muscle groups of your hips and your core, whenever you're doing weight-bearing through those, that helps to strengthen them," Miller said. "And climbing is a great way to do that."
The wall has been in place about three weeks and stands as a testament to the efforts of one energetic, outgoing child.
"It makes me very proud that he could advocate for something at (age) five," Paula McMahon said.
"I know it's gonna benefit a lot of children in our community, and thank you, Lucky, for being so persistent," Miller said.
