MARYLAND HEIGHTS â Just in time for Christmas, 8-year-old Maeve Boatman got to ride her brand-new bike for the first time.
Maeve, a second grader at Fort Zumwaltâs Twin Chimneys Elementary School in St. Charles County, is a voracious reader of âLittle House on the Prairieâ books and an expert at trampoline tricks. But for years she has had difficulty finding a bike with enough stability that she could ride and keep up with friends and family.
Maeve has split hand and split foot syndrome, a rare physical disability occurring in about 1 in 90,000 births. That leaves her hands with just one gripping finger that sheâs able to use to hold on to traditional handlebars.