Stories - January 11, 2023
Strolling into great family times
The story of young William Hardwick continues to be written thanks to a stroller made available under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
With the support of Intereach Griffith, the Hardwick family of Mel, Jonno and sons Nathan, William and Lennard have enjoyed a new lease on family life, with the stroller allowing all-encompassing family outings.
“The stroller has changed our lives,” Mel says.
“It has meant everything, we get to be a family. Until we had the stroller we could not go out as a family, it was a real challenge".
Mel Hardwick
William, who is diagnosed with autism, has the stroller as a comfort tool and it has also helped enormously with growing his confidence and interaction with family and friends.
“He has opened up. He used to be a closed book, now he is a part of everything. We are so proud of him,” Jonno said.
The family said the support they had received with William’s development had been welcomed.
“Our goal is to have William develop his self-care skills, and with the stroller we can see him growing in confidence and we are positive that over the coming years, that confidence will grow to the stage he won’t need the support that he has now,” Mel said.
“We really want to share our story and journey because there may be families out there that may be struggling, please know that there is much that can be done to support you.”
Full family Hardwick outings were a dream two years ago, now the family is planning outings and events including regional shows and a big trip to Dubbo Zoo.
“It is awesome what we can do now,” Jonno says.
“The support through Intereach and the NDIS has changed our lives”.
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