Spokane teen with cerebral palsy surprised with adaptive bike at Shriners

SPOKANE, Wash. — For most of her life, riding a bike did not seem possible for 14-year-old Emelyn Blair.

That changed Friday when Emelyn arrived at Shriners Children’s Spokane for what she believed was a therapy session and found a specially adapted bike waiting for her.

The bike, which costs nearly $4,000, was purchased by the El Katif Shriners, a local philanthropic group that supports children. Emelyn’s reaction when she saw it made the surprise especially meaningful for those involved.

Emelyn was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy when she was 3 years old. The condition affects her ability to walk and talk on her own, and she primarily uses a wheelchair to get around.

Her mother, Laquinna Blair, said Emelyn was introduced to the idea of riding a bike while recovering from surgery. She said her daughter enjoyed it and grew stronger using one, but buying an adaptive bike seemed out of reach.

“She loved being on the bike, and she got so strong on the bike,” Laquinna Blair said. “Then we saw the price tag of getting the bike and was like, ‘Oh, that’s not possible,’ right? It wasn’t. Insurance wasn’t going to pay for it. We’ve been trying so hard to figure out how we could save up money to pay for it.”

The bike is designed to meet Emelyn’s needs and includes trainers, allowing her family to use it indoors when winter weather limits accessible outdoor options.

“When it snows, we can’t go outside and it’s really inaccessible,” Laquinna Blair said. “There’s only a couple places we can go in the winter. So, like getting a bike that has the trainers on it where we can just put it inside and she can still do that is incredible.”

Emelyn’s physical therapist, Lauren Drury, said the family had tried donated bikes before, but those bikes either broke or were too small.

“We’ve trialed some donation bikes that have broke or are too small, and for her to have something special that’s just for her, it was amazing to get to watch her see her surprise,” Drury said.

The El Katif Moonshriners donated the bike and were there to see Emelyn’s reaction. Member Jim Tourtillotte said watching her ride made the gift worthwhile.

“When you see her face riding that bike, it makes it all worthwhile,” Tourtillotte said.

For Emelyn and her family, the gift means more opportunities to stay active and enjoy a form of movement that once did not seem possible.