Disclaimer: Customer stories and testimonials on this page may speak to a customer’s individual experience with the Otteroo and their child’s impairment. These stories and testimonials may not reflect all Otteroo experiences. The Otteroo is intended to provide buoyancy to promote free movement in the water to support natural development and is not intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease or condition.
The mom of 5-year old Tripp jokes that no one told her son that he has cerebral palsy. The young boy is so full of joy that you’d never know he has obstacles to overcome.
Tripp first used the Otteroo at an aquatic therapy session when he was a baby. His experience brought his mom, Katrina, to tears. She tells us about it.
How did Tripp respond to the Otteroo?
He just wiggled. I remember saying, ‘I've gotta get my phone. I've got to get this on tape.’ You could see his joy. As a mother who has a child with such great needs, it made me start crying because it was the first time I'd ever been able to see him have the freedom to freely move how he wanted to move. It was the best feeling. And talking to you right now, thinking about it, it just gives me chills because I remember thinking this is, this is amazing. Every child in the world should have this.
How has it helped him?
It was also an outlet for him to socialize in a way with other children who had different, but similar special needs. It became a social pool time. And that's not a thing that a lot of kids with special needs are given.
Because he’s non-verbal, how can you tell Tripp is excited to get in the Otteroo?
He'll start to wiggle. He makes noises and he'll start to kind of scream. He will bring his arms up, like, ‘Yay, we're getting in the water, this is happening now!’
That must be fun to see
I now look at my life and I look at my life with joy because I know that there are products like this and people like y'all, who are changing up the game for my kid. We can have normal, typical, wonderful experiences. And we're not stuck in institutional settings and we're not stuck at home. We're able to go places we're able to travel and my son is able to be with his cousins and able to have this immersed lifestyle that a lot of kids wouldn't have had 10 years ago.