3-year-old with spina bifida explores life in his tiny wheelchair
Archer Reid Jagodzinski of Florida, is grabbing attention on Instagram after his mom shared a video of him zipping around in his wheelchair.
When Kassey Jagodzinski was nearly 20 weeks pregnant, she learned her baby would be born with spina bifida. And while she was told multiple times she "had choices," the only choice for the Jagodzinskis was to give their son a wonderful life.
Now, Archer Reid Jagodzinski is three years old and zipping around in his tiny wheelchair and being "a stinker," his mom told Fox News Digital. And he's a clever little one.
"He'll ask me or his dad, 'Can I hold you?' and then we pick him up and he says, 'Ok now go to the kitchen' because that's where the candy is," said Kassey Jagodzinski, a mom of three from Plantation, Florida.
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In a video compilation she made in honor of International Wheelchair Day last month, viewers see Archie, as his family calls him, doing spins, visiting a splash pad, picking flowers and playing mini golf – all the while with a huge smile on his face. The footage has been viewed more than 20,000 times on Instagram (See the video at the top of this article).
Archer Reid Jagodzinski is receiving love online after his mom shared a video of him zipping around in his wheelchair. (Kassey Jagodzinski)
It's a long way from the doom and gloom Jagodzinski said she got when she googled "spina bifida" after receiving the diagnosis.
"Everything was scary," Jagodzinski recalled. "But he is so funny. He basically does everything any toddler does, he just doesn't move his legs."
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Archer Reid Jagodzinski, 3, was born with spina bifida – type of neural tube defect that affects the spine. (Kassey Jagodzinski)
Spina bifida is a type of neural tube defect that affects the spine. It occurs when the neural tube does not close all the way and may cause physical disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Even if it's hard, we've always figured out a way for him to experience the same things as his sister and other kids his age," mom Kassey Jagodzinski told Fox News Digital. (Kassey Jagodzinski)
Jagodzinski said right now Archie is mostly into Mario, using his wheelchair, being outside, climbing, playing with his sister and stacking toys.
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Because Jagodzinski had never even heard of spina bifida when Archie was diagnosed, she said she wants to use her platform on social media to share his life and answer questions.
Archer Reid Jagodzinski, 3, smiles as he uses his small wheelchair outside. (Kassey Jagodzinski)
"People are curious," she said. "He's grown such a following."
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Archer "Archie" Reid Jagodzinski is currently into Mario, using his wheelchair, being outside, climbing and playing with his sister. (Kassey Jagodzinski)
As for the Jagodzinskis, the family has learned to be patient and "not take simple things for granted," Jagodzinski said.
"He basically does everything any toddler does, he just doesn't move his legs," said mom Kassey Jagodzinski. (Kassey Jagodzinski)
"There hasn't been anything Archie can't do yet," she added. "Even if it's hard, we've always figured out a way for him to experience the same things as his sister and other kids his age."
