Four-year-old Wyatt Burggraff, who has spina bifida, was able to jump on a trampoline at a gym for children with special needs
Four-year-old Wyatt Burggraff used to be afraid of trampolines.
Wyatt was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. So, even though he’s always loved trampolines, Wyatt’s condition left him hesitant to try it out, according to ABC News. That’s when TNT Kid’s Fitness & Gymnastics stepped in.
Officials with TNT, a Fargo, North Dakota, gym that serves children with special needs, have been working with Wyatt for at least two years, TNT communications specialist Tim Frie tells PEOPLE. On Feb. 14, they shared a video of Wyatt enjoying himself on the trampoline with the help of a trainer.
“They’re very well-trained and Wyatt has a ball,” Wyatt’s mother, Allison Burggraff, told Good Morning America.
In the video, Wyatt is shown smiling with his arms in the air as he bounced while in the wheelchair. The video has been viewed more than six million times and has amassed nearly 98,000 shares.
“Every day we get to see these amazing men and women work with kids with special needs and really they’re able to tap into the potential that their parents didn’t even know they had,” Allison told WTVD.
RELATED STORY: Ohio Dad Builds Wheelchair-Accessible Igloo for His Kids with Special Needs: ‘They Loved It!’
Kim Pladson, executive director of TNT, told GMA that the gym was founded 13 years ago as a community for children of all abilities. Nate Hendrickson, TNT’s special needs coordinator, added that the coaches ensure that all the children that attend the gym are safe and able to play successfully.
Allison told GMA that the gym has been a “huge blessing” for Wyatt, as the benefits are more than just physical.
“They empower him with affirming words, they tell him he is strong, brave and courageous,” Allison said. “When Wyatt has gone through medical issues — getting an IV or MRI we can say to and draw on that experience and say ‘you can do hard things.”
As for Frie, who recorded and shared the video of Wyatt, said Wyatt’s joy is nothing new at the gym.
“We see this type of thing often, and whoever the child is in the wheelchair that is jumping always has the same reaction. They just want more. Wyatt specifically is always such a happy and smiling kid whenever he visits TNT, so that joy on his face is him just being himself,” Fire said.
“I think one of the things that was the biggest take away was the reaction of the other people in the gym who were seeing this for the first time. So many people were blown away and had no idea the extent of the services we offer.