Lawrence Medical Products Launches MoveAround™ IV Buggy For Kids
Lawrence Medical Products, a family-owned business conceived to help Autumn Lawrence, diagnosed with infant leukemia in 2005 at seven and a half months old, has announced the launch of the MoveAround™ IV Buggy.
The innovative product was developed by Ralph Lawrence – “Grandpa Ralph” – a former marketing and sales executive – to help granddaughter Autumn gain mobility during cancer treatments she underwent as a toddler. Autumn relapsed at age two and a half. Ralph Lawrence runs Lawrence Medical Products together with Autumn’s parents – son Marc and daughter-in-law Carlene.
“I remember watching in anguish as Autumn struggled to pull her IV pole after her bone marrow transplant,” said Ralph, who built the first IV Buggy prototype – a miniature shopping cart – in his Rhode Island garage. “She was unable to move around the house without someone constantly helping her. Once Autumn started using the first Buggy I built, she could move around somewhat effortlessly, and she got more exercise and increased her strength and stamina. She instantly became happier and more content, and importantly, she acted and felt like a little girl again. All those feelings and benefits helped in Autumn’s recovery.”
Today, two-plus years after receiving a bone marrow donation from nine-month-old younger brother Leif, Autumn is cancer free. The colorful mobile IV therapy unit designed for her, slated for use at Providence’s Hasbro Children’s Hospital and San Antonio’s Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, features a removable IV pole and is pushed like a shopping cart for easy maneuverability and mobility. It affords children independence and helps enhance their physical therapy and recovery by encouraging them to move around. Designed for home, hospital, and clinic use, the U.S.-made Buggy offers an adjustable handle to accommodate kids as young as 18 months old to teenagers – and it fits through all standard doorways. It features an easy-to-clean bin for storage of personal items such as toys and games while on the go.
“The big draw with the IV Buggy is the mobility – kids being able to get up and around when they’re in the hospital – that’s the best thing ever,” said Marianne Cooney, Child Life Services Manager at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. “We love it. We are really happy to have it here.”
Selling for $350, the purple and blue Buggy is easy to assemble – no tools required. A cup tray accessory for a “sippy” or standard drink cup is included, and kids can personalize the Buggy with stickers.
“The IV Buggy is a tremendous invention,” said Carlene Lawrence, a tireless advocate for childhood cancer treatment, education, and patient services. “It let Autumn be a kid and maintain her independence during what was a very trying time physically and emotionally. It wasn’t a restriction – it was a toy to her – and it is our hope that the IV Buggy will help other kids in that same positive, truly impactful way.”
“Just because children need IV therapy doesn’t mean they stop being children,” Ralph Lawrence said. “It’s about quality of life.”
Source:
Lawrence Medical Products