Many adults have fond childhood memories of being outside with the neighborhood kids, riding bikes, playing sports and exploring the world around them. But for children dealing with inhibited mobility, these priceless moments may feel out of reach.
Maya. Courtesy of Katie Brickner.
This reality is what prompted local nonprofit Wheels for Aiden to provide children with age-appropriate motorized vehicles, giving them back some of their independence and allowing them to participate and play with their peers.
Now managed by Nellie’s Champions for Kids (NC4K), a nonprofit that provides services to children battling cancer and their families, Wheels for Aiden now shares resources and efforts so the two can work toward a shared goal of serving children with serious illnesses and ailments.
Aiden’s New Ride
When Aiden Welling was diagnosed with a very rare cancer known as neuroblastoma at age 4, he struggled to keep active and play with his Westerville neighborhood friends.
Aiden Welling's Millennium Falcon - the original Wheels for Aiden. Courtesy of Jason Woehrle.
When Halloween came around, his family hatched a plan to ensure Welling would still be able to go trick-or-treating. Because Aiden was an avid Star Wars fan, they built him his own motorized Millennium Falcon, decorated using cardboard scraps, duct tape and an empty KFC bucket.
After Aiden passed away in 2018, the Wellings’ neighbor and friend Jason Woehrle founded Wheels for Aiden in his honor.
In the beginning, Wheels for Aiden was entirely volunteer-run and relied on donations, but would often receive help with vehicle storage and family referrals from NC4K. After realizing NC4K was invested in Wheels for Aiden’s mission and that the two organizations could have a greater impact working together, they decided to join forces. In November 2023, Wheels for Aiden was officially absorbed by NC4K.
“They approached us about transitioning all their services to be under our umbrella of care and I can’t express enough what an honor and privilege it is to be able to carry that torch forward and honor Aiden and his family, as well as the work Jason put in as a neighbor and as a friend of the family to really commemorate the friendship that Aiden had with his kids and other neighborhood kids,” says Mandy Powell, executive director at NC4K.
Blake’s Journey
When Westerville mom and elementary school teacher Jennifer Wuersig’s son Blake was diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler, her whole world was turned upside down. Suddenly she was in and out of the hospital with him, monitoring his health closely and navigating through his treatments.
Blake is now 6 years old and in remission, but at the time, his illness was hard on the entire family, both financially and emotionally.
NC4K has been working with families like Wuersig’s since 2007 and knows exactly how to offer a helping hand with issues that arise when a child is diagnosed with cancer.
With the help of the organization, Wuersig got access to free school supplies, clothes and toys for Blake and his two siblings, as well as tickets to attend outings and activities such as sporting events for free. NC4K also hosted holiday celebrations and special events offering the kids a space where they could forget about their illnesses, at least for a moment, and just be kids.
Blake. Courtesy of Jennifer Wuersig.
“They offer you a fun event for your family where you can just relax and not think about all the other stuff you’re dealing with,” Wuersig says. “You can just have fun together as a family, and those are things that you might not be able to afford when you’re paying a million medical bills. (NC4K) would give us a break sometimes.”
In addition to the assistance provided through NC4K, Blake was also able to receive his own motorized vehicle through Wheels for Aiden. The organization worked with Wuersig directly to get Blake exactly what he wanted while making sure it was the right fit for a child his age.
“His favorite color was green and, since he was 3, we talked about how he can’t actually drive the thing, he’ll probably crash it, so they got us one where the parent can walk behind with the remote,” Wuersig says. “They said, ‘Look at Amazon, you’ll know your dream (vehicle) and we’ll tell you if we can make that happen.’”
With the help of his new green tractor truck, Blake could keep up with his two older siblings riding their bikes and scooters on their neighborhood street.
“Giving them a motorized vehicle so that they can run around the cul-de-sac … keeping up when, otherwise, they might be limited because of the effects of treatment on their body – that idea of being a normal kid, being a normal family, having fun, not letting cancer divide that – that’s such an important part of this entire p
NC4K hosts events and school supply drives for families of children fighting cancer. Courtesy of Mandy Powell.
rocess,” Powell says. “I think it’s critical to their overall care and how they manage the long-term nature of a childhood cancer diagnosis.”
One of the hardest challenges for the Wuersig family was navigating life for their other two children. Because Blake was immunocompromised, his siblings could not invite friends over and were often away from one or both parents when they had to tend to Blake’s health. This is a common problem for the families NC4K works with so the organization works to make sure the siblings are also happy and cared for during the family’s difficult time.
“A lot of times it was like, ‘Blake gets this and gets that’ and ‘He gets all this attention,’ and so it’s really cool that all the activities (NC4K) do, they invite the whole family and they let the siblings kind of get the same things,” Wuersig says. “That makes them feel a little more included.”
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
