BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Families across the state can be helped financially by CPABLE. The medical equipment many of these families need can cost thousands of dollars out of pocket. And some require skilled robotics teams to make them.

Meet Beckett Carlson, he’s 11 years old. According to his mom Sarah, he enjoys P.E. class and listening to music. Beckett is also a child living with special needs.

“Almost 11 years ago, Beckett was born unexpectedly premature. And that kind of started our journey in both loving Beckett and also learning a lot about him.” Sarah shared.

“Beckett, I think it’s your goal that you have friendships. Not just kindness. I mean kindness is good, kindness is great. But there’s something deeper and more meaningful about having friends.”

Not so long ago, taking a walk in the park, fittingly called Friendship Park, would have been difficult for Beckett who was in a wheelchair. But with the assistance of his Trexo device, Beckett has walked an impressive 400,000 plus steps. That’s roughly 200 miles.

Being able to see Beckett take a stroll is something that’s worth it for his mom, Sarah. Worth the planning, the strategizing, and the cost.

“Something like this, the insurance world or Medicaid hasn’t caught up to the world of this. Because this is robotics,” said Sarah. “This is no longer in the durable medical equipment category. It’s a robot. So we’re in that gap right now where we’ve got to do our own fundraising, we’ve got to do our own sacrifices to help with funding for this.”

Sarah knows firsthand the sacrifices that have to be made and just as she’s able to see Beckett take a stroll around the park, she wants other families with special needs children to be able to do the same.

“Programs like CPABLE are really needed for things like this to help support families. Because it shouldn’t be the case that it costs $40,000 for a child to walk,” said Sarah.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also sometimes takes a community to support one.

“I’ve got a happy kid. I’ve got that. But the happiness piece is not the destination. It’s all about the journey. And so then it is about making sure that Beckett is invited to the table. Making sure that Beckett’s body has movement in it. Making sure that Beckett’s health is good. Making sure that he feels safe. Making sure Beckett feels loved and honored. I think that’s what every parent wants,” said Sarah.

So that Beckett can continue making strides on his journey of life.