Stellinka came into the world with a diagnosis that rearranged her parents' whole picture of what childhood should look like. But it didn't close their possibilities. On the contrary, it pushed them to look for solutions they would never have come up with on their own — from specialised therapies through unusual aids to the community that gradually formed around their family.
Stellinka's story has been followed by the public for several years. Her mother Veronika documents their daily life on social media and has become one of the most visible faces of the Czech community of parents of children with disabilities. For Stellinka, the xRover was the turning point — not the first aid the family tried, but the one they stuck with.
The road to the xRover
Stellinka spent her first two years of life with a mix of a standard stroller and a positioning wheelchair. Neither of these aids was bad, but neither covered every situation the family found themselves in — short city walks, multi-day mountain trips, joint events with non-profit organisations.
“We had two specialised wheelchairs, but we still planned every outing as if Stellinka were the exception to the world around her,” Veronika recalls. “When we first saw the xRover at a demo event in Brno, my husband said with a smile that it finally looks like a stroller, not like a medical aid.”
„Měli jsme dva specializované vozy, ale pořád jsme každou cestu plánovali, jako by Stellinka byla výjimkou v okolním světě."
— Veronika, Stellinka's mother
What changed
Veronika now describes the move to the xRover as three simultaneous shifts — practical, social, and psychological. Each meant something different to the family.
The practical shift
The xRover handles both Prague streets and the terrain of the Krkonoše Mountains, the Beskydy, or the Šumava. Veronika says they no longer have to choose which wheelchair to take on a trip — one is always enough. What used to be a planning dilemma is now the default.
The social shift
Veronika says the reactions of people around them have changed noticeably. “People treat us differently when Stellinka is sitting in something that looks like a sport stroller. It isn't that anyone used to overlook us — but that first contact, that first look, is different.”
The psychological shift
The least expected of the three was the psychological one. According to Veronika, Stellinka started paying more attention to her surroundings, was more open to new situations, and reacted less anxiously to unfamiliar environments. Veronika can't say for sure what was down to the xRover and what was simply another year of growing up. But both threads were connected.
The community around Stellinka
Veronika regularly documents Stellinka's life on social media. She started in order to relieve the isolation she felt in the early years. Over time it has turned into a space where hundreds of parents in similar situations write in.
“I didn't expect that sharing it would be so exhausting — and so freeing,” she sums up. “But when a family messages me to say that because of our profile they chose an xRover and went into the forest together for the first time in years — that's why I keep doing it.”
If you'd like to support Stellinka or follow her everyday life, you'll find her at @stellinky_cesta on Instagram.
Places the family has come to love
Veronika and Stellinka regularly head out of Prague. Their favourite spots include Stromovka for everyday walks, Šárka for longer afternoons in the greenery, and Macocha in the Moravian Karst for multi-day trips with Veronika's parents.
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Conclusion
Veronika doesn't think in terms of “before” and “after” the xRover. “The aid didn't make Stellinka a different child. It made us a more flexible family. And flexibility is what keeps us afloat today.”
If you're thinking about an xRover and Stellinka's story has inspired you to try one, get in touch. Both consultations and loans are free of charge.