JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Students from Northeast State Community College’s engineering design class turned a class project into a gift that will benefit kids every day at Niswonger Children’s Hospital.
Students designed and built the chair to specifically care for children recovering from hip dysplasia surgery. Children recovering from this surgery often wear a spica cast, which immobilizes the child’s lower body to allow proper healing. While necessary, the cast can make it difficult for children to do everyday activities, so students built this special chair to give these patients a place to sit, eat, play and interact with family during recovery.
After students completed their prototype, local artist Leigh Ann brought the chair to life with colorful designs complete with playful animals. Each student took a moment to sign the underside of the chair before bringing it inside the hospital, where it will make patients’ days a little brighter for years to come.
Donations like this highlight the creativity and ingenuity of those in our community. We’re grateful for our partners at Northeast State Community College who helped us fill a need for our pediatric orthopedic patients.
