Ryan Weimer started Magic Wheelchair after an awesome experience with his own son, Keaton. Keaton was diagnosed at a very early age with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a form of Muscular Dystrophy that has left him in a wheelchair. When asked by his father what he’d like to be for Halloween, the answer came easily: A pirate. After some careful consideration, Ryan came to the conclusion that he’d be turning Keaton’s wheelchair into a pirate ship. This original costume idea was the spark that lit the Magic Wheelchair fire:
As you can plainly see, it was no rinky-dink pirate ship. That thing looks ready to do battle! And the way Keaton reacted to it in such a positive way inspired the creation of Magic Wheelchair, a non-profit that raises money to raise the enjoyment level of Halloween for wheelchair-bound kids all over America.
Each wheelchair represents a large investment in time and money. Instead of making a bunch of cheap looking costumes, the non-profit has decided it’s better to focus effort on a smaller number of costumes that can be made as, in their words, EPIC as possible.
By the looks of things, they’re doing a terrific job: