Meet the Barton Family

One cool wheelchair brings the WHOLE family together for family time.

In a lot of ways, Tyler Barton is your average 12-year-old boy. He likes to have fun. He likes to be outside, and he loves spending time with his family.

But for the past 12 years, being together outdoors as a family rarely meant the entire family was together.

“In the past, it’s always been a situation where somebody has to wait in the car with Tyler, or we had to leave Tyler at home,” his mom, Janette, said.

Tyler was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a disorder that causes a premature fusion of the bones in the skull. Over his short life, Tyler has had more than 30 surgeries. In one of his first brain surgeries, a bleed created long-term effects on Tyler’s motor skills.

But that hasn’t held Tyler back. “He’s a super stud who loves to do a lot of things,” Tyler’s dad, Joe, said. “He’s the toughest person I know.”

What is Pfeiffer syndrome?

Pfeiffer syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the premature fusion of certain skull bones (craniosynostosis), which affects the shape of the head and face, as well as abnormalities in the hands and feet. It is caused by mutations in the FGFR1 or FGFR2 genes, which are involved in bone growth and development.

Pfeiffer syndrome emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, personalized care, and coordinated medical management to optimize the quality of life for affected individuals.

The “Cool Wheelchair”

The Barton Family lives an active lifestyle filled with sports and hiking, pastimes that can be difficult or impossible in an average wheelchair.

“In a regular wheelchair, it has even been hard for us to get through the grass at a baseball game,” Janette said. “Which is why we get to ride in the cool wheelchair.”

The “cool wheelchair” is Tyler’s Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchair. With its all-terrain wheelchair tires and long, narrow design, the Motus can travel over difficult terrain with ease. And it’s a smooth ride for Tyler.

“We can do trail hikes. We can go rock climbing. We can go over hills, in the mud, over weeds, and we have fun,” Joe said.

Family Time Means Together Time

On a recent family trip through Arizona, the Bartons stopped off to enjoy a scenic overlook at Horseshoe Bend. The whole family was excited to experience some of nature’s most beautiful handiwork.

Unfortunately, when the Bartons arrived, they saw that the short trail to the overlook was made of sand.

“There was no way we could take the regular wheelchair. So, Mom and Tyler had to stay back at the parking lot while everyone else went up to the overlook. It was sad that we couldn’t all be together,” Joe said.

With the Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchair, the Bartons never have to spend family time apart again.

“We recently went to a haunted hike for Halloween, and for the first time in 12 years we all got to go and experience the same experience,” Janette says.

The hike promised to take the Bartons past werewolves and mummies, but the scariest obstacle was the terrain — a steep incline through trees and over rocks in the dark of the night.

“We’ve never been able to go on a hike. Not even a little hike, and this was an extreme hike,” Joe said. “But we didn’t even have to worry about getting up there. The chair was super easy to push.”

With his “cool wheelchair” in tow, Tyler is ready to take on a world of new adventures.

“It has opened up a lot more opportunities for us to be able to go as a family and experience some of the things that we’ve always wanted to show Tyler,” Janette said.

Conclusion

At Extreme Motus we live to hear stories like this from our customers. Manufacturing a product that allows a family to spend time together is super rewarding. We appreciate the Barton family taking the time to share their story with us.