A mum has been dubbed 'Mum of the Year' after she created a special skateboard for her son who has cerebral palsy.
Lau Patrón says it was always son João's dream to get on a skateboard despite being in a wheelchair.
So she decided to customise one for the seven-year-old from scratch.
In heartwarming footage that has since been viewed more than 1million times, João can be seen giggling around a park in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil as he is wheeled out for the first time on the specially-made invention.
His proud mum explained how both their lives changed when, as a toddler, her son fell ill.
João suffered a stroke three months short of his second birthday.
He was then diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition called atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Lau vowed to replace her son’s desire to skateboard with other sports more accessible to him - but an even greater solution soon came up.
She found SkateAnima , a Brazilian company started by physiotherapist Stevan Pinto and psychologist Daniel Paniagua, which caters to children with various disabilities.
They adapt skateboarding rigs for each child based on their needs with flexible frames.
“He rode on a tricycle to the skate rides, but that was not what he wanted,” she explained to Global News after the video went viral around the world.
“He was always the happier, curious boy and liked adrenaline.
“The dream of skateboarding was old, and the stroke has not changed that.
"It was incredible to see him enjoying the moment."
