Skip to main content

Strider Donates Bikes

Heart Hero Survives Post Op with Strider Bike

This summer we received a heartfelt message from Elizabeth, the mother of a courageous little girl named Mazie who also enjoys riding her Strider Bike.

“I want to sincerely thank you for your product….thank you for having a product which allowed my daughter to fight for life again.”

Though you would not know it by the warmth of her smile Mazie was born with half a heart and will require many surgeries throughout her life. Just this summer she underwent her third open-heart surgery which unfortunately resulted in a few complications. Following her surgery, Mazie was so weak that she could not even walk down the hall. During her recovery, Elizabeth could see the ‘spirit and sparkle’ that Mazie once exuded slowly fading away and she feared that Mazie was starting to give up on life. That is when her therapist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, suggested that Mazie’s parents bring her Strider Bike into the hospital. Before surgery, Mazie’s favorite thing to do was ride her Strider Bike and they thought this would brighten her days in the hospital and hopefully help motivate her recovery. After seeing her little red 12” Strider Bike Mazie perked up and decided that she was going to ride it all day and night – up and down the halls – and all over the Children’s Hospital. After a few weeks, Mazie was so well known for her love of biking in and around the hospital that her team of doctors and nurses – who themselves are part of a biking team named the ‘Cardiac Climbers’ for the hospital’s annual Courage Classic bike event –  named Mazie an honorary ‘Cardiac Climber’.

Following a month-long recovery, we are so glad to report that Mazie is back at home recovering very well. She continues to ride her bike around the house and throughout their neighborhood. Of course, after hearing her courageous story, we wanted to make sure she had everything she needs to continue her bike riding journey. We sent her a new 14x Sport that will eventually convert to a pedal bike when she is ready.

Inspired by Mazie’s touching story and hearing how riding her Strider Bike helped inspire her recovery following surgery, we reached out to the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation. Ryan McFarland, Strider Bike’s CEO and chief enthusiast, made a personal visit to the Children’s Hospital Colorado to learn more about all the amazing work they do for so many kiddos. Because of Mazie we donated 12 Strider Bikes to the Children’s Hospital to make sure more kids have every opportunity to be active while recovering in the hospital, and most importantly – get to just be a kid.

Were you inspired and want to know more? Check out the links below!

Check out Mazie’s story and follow her journey on her Youtube page HERE and/or Facebook page HERE.

To learn more about the amazing work that the Children’s Hospital Colorado is doing or to donate to the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, we highly encourage you to visit their websites: www.childrenscolorado.org & www.childrenscoloradofoundation.org