Cochrane community bands together to raise $43K to buy robotic legs for 3-year-old with cerebral palsy

The Cochrane community helps raise thousands of dollars for a young girl to buy robotic legs to help her walk.

Dan Kroffat hit his target and now Brielle Aguilar, a three-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, will get an opportunity to live her life on her terms.

Cochrane resident Kroffat set out earlier this spring to inspire his community to raise the $43,000 cost of a pair of robotic legs for three-year-old Brielle Aguilar, who was born prematurely and has cerebral palsy.

The campaign was inspired when Kroffat learned that Brielle’s mother Michelle was trying to raise it on her own, collecting bottles, selling used books and doing whatever she could.

Hoping to accelerate the process, Kroffat launched his campaign -- and Cochrane responded.

"This is a mother’s love and dedication to her daughter,“ Kroffat said Saturday. ”When I first met her, she told me this would take two to three years to raise $43,000 she was collecting bottles and cans selling used books.

“You know, I was really taken in by that,” he added. “So I approached some of our community leaders. I talked about the campaign and what we needed to do to rally together. We needed to have a collaboration, if you will, of the community.

“And you know what? This community just rose up!”

Saturday at a Cochrane car dealership, Kroffat presented Aguilar with an oversized cheque for $43,000.

“The money goes into trust, and then the organization that builds the robotic legs will get all the money,” he said. “There are no expenditures attached to this campaign. I made sure that we didn’t have any accumulated bills along the way.

“So every dollar we raise here today is going towards the campaign to get these robotic legs. And you know, if you take a moment or two and go on Google and just look it up, you’ll see what these robotic legs will do for someone. And it’s really very compelling.”

Brielle’s mother Michelle said she was floored by the response from the community.

“I’m in shock, and I don’t even know what to say,” she said. “(I am) so thankful to everyone, I didn’t really expect the end of it to be like, where we should go, something like that, but we did, and I’m so grateful.

“And you know, it’s been such an amazing support we’ve been getting from the community,” she added.

Brielle was born prematurely, at 30 weeks.

“I didn’t know that she had brain injury. I was told about her diagnosis at like, a couple days before we were discharged,” Michelle said. “I was told, actually over the phone, that she had severe brain injury -- and they said that it could turn to cerebral palsy, which, sure enough, she did.”

The robotic legs will allow Brielle to improve her mobility and quality of life, Michelle said, “and have that sense of independence and normalcy.

“Because she loves being outdoors,” she added. “She loves hanging out with kids. And I always see her smiling when she sees kids running around, walking around her -- so for her to be able to walk with them, hopefully run with them, and play with them, instead of sitting on her wheelchair, would be really amazing to see.”

For more about Brielle, go here.