With a little creativity, and a clever twist on old technology, 11-year-old Desa Kaiser is back where she feels most at home: the dance floor.
The Pennsylvania teen was paralyzed from the waist down after a car crash in 2022 that left her hospitalized over Thanksgiving. Before the accident, Desa loved ballet, jazz, and funk. Now, thanks to a specially modified “dancing wheelchair,” she can spin, lean all the way back, and move to the music with the same joy she felt before.
Speaking with CBS News 3 Philadelphia, Desa said embracing what makes her different feels empowering. She shared that the chair allows her to feel free and express herself in ways a standard wheelchair cannot.
After the crash, Desa received care at Shriners Children’s Hospital, where she continues physical therapy to strengthen her arms and trunk. Physical therapist Maggie Reilly helped make the dancing wheelchair possible, saying the goal is always to help kids do what they love, in whatever way works for them.
Desa’s parents say this Thanksgiving looked very different from years past, and they’re grateful to see their daughter dancing again.
- How Reddit Saved Christmas for a Father of Four - December 23, 2025
- Saved by a Saxophone: Delayed Flight Turns Into a Holiday Singalong - December 23, 2025
- Owl Becomes an Unexpected Tree Topper After Flying Down Family’s Chimney - December 23, 2025
