Giving children a chance to walk

The Firefly Upsee by Lisburn based company Leckey – a standing and walking harness for children with motor impairment – was the invention of Israeli mother, Debby Elnatan, who wanted a harness support that could improve her son’s mobility skills.

The Upsee is expected to attract global demand as the first product of its kind.

It has already been trialled with families across the UK, USA and Canada with positive results.

Inventor Debby Elnatan said: “It is wonderful to see this product available to families across the world.

When my son was two years old, I was told by medical professionals that “he didn’t know what his legs are and has no consciousness of them”.

That was an incredibly difficult thing for a mother to hear. I started to walk him day after day.Out of my pain and desperation came the idea for the Upsee and I’m delighted to see it come to fruition.”

The Firefly Upsee will enable infants and small children to stand and achieve walking training.

The Firefly team, part of the Leckey company in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, worked closely with Debby to design and manufacture the product for the international market.

The company has 30 years’ experience in clinical excellence. A team of designers, engineers, textile experts and therapists have worked on the project since 2012.

The Firefly Upsee costs £299 and can be purchased directly from www.fireflyfriends.com