A Whole New World of Movement: Christian’s Story

Sometimes, a piece of equipment is much more than equipment. Sometimes, it opens the door to independence, movement, confidence, and possibilities that a family wasn't sure would ever exist.

That is exactly what happened for Christian.

Christian recently received a Zeen mobility device, giving him an opportunity to experience movement and independence in a whole new way.

The journey started when Christian was able to trial the Zeen at school. Zeen is a relatively new mobility device, and after seeing what it could potentially do for Christian, his mom, Aimee, knew they wanted to pursue it.

She contacted Zeen, and the company's vendor in Ohio went above and beyond. A representative came to Christian's school so that he and several other students could try the device themselves.

The experience was encouraging, but there was still a major obstacle.

The Zeen wasn't covered by insurance.

For many families, that can mean the end of the conversation. The equipment a child needs can be life-changing, but the cost can put it completely out of reach.  The Zeen walker is a fairly new walker.  So new it doesn’t have a code yet for insurance to cover it.

Aimee wasn't sure if Christian would even get another opportunity to trial the device, let alone eventually have one of his own.

Then, a connection was made.

Aimee saw that Carter (Comfort for Carter) got his stroller through Stephen’s Hulksters Angel Fund.  Aimee made a comment on Carter’s mom’s Facebook post inquiring if Stephen’s Hulksters could help Christian.  Steve Buches saw the comment and reached out to the Robeson’s as soon as he saw the comment.

“When we learned about Christian and the Zeen, we knew this was exactly the kind of opportunity the Angel Fund was created to support.” 

So we said YES!

And recently, Christian's family was finally able to pick up his new Zeen.

For Aimee, the moment was overwhelming.

“I’m just still in awe.”

She shared that when she first saw the Zeen and realized insurance wasn't yet covering it, she expected a long and difficult process. She wasn't even sure Christian would be able to trial one again.

Aimee described the experience as seeing God's hand throughout the entire process, saying that the journey has left her “speechless every single time.”

And then came the moment that matters most:

Christian received his Zeen.

As Aimee put it:

“Welcome to a whole new world of movement, kiddo.”

That sentence captures why Stephen’s Hulksters Angel Fund exists.

We can't change every challenge a family faces. We can't make every piece of equipment affordable or make every insurance decision go their way.

But if we can help remove one barrier, we are going to do it.

We can help a family say yes to an opportunity that might otherwise be impossible.

We can help a child experience something new.

And sometimes, that “something new” is the ability to move more independently, interact with the world in a different way, participate alongside peers, and discover what they're capable of doing.

We are incredibly grateful to Aimee, Steve, Christian, and their family for allowing us to be part of this journey and for sharing their story with us.

We are also thankful to Zeen and Access to Independence, especially Jennifer Spaulding, for helping Christian get the opportunity to trial the device and for working with his family throughout the process.

And most importantly, we are excited to see where this new chapter takes Christian.

Keep moving, Christian. Your world just got a little bigger. 💚