North Liberty boy with special needs gets unique holiday gift

Five-year-old Aiden Babka got a shiny new bike Thursday, just in the nick of time for Christmas.

It's not your average bike – it's an adaptive bike made especially for the North Liberty boy with special needs.

Aiden received his bike as an early Christmas present Thursday at St. Luke's Witwer Children's Therapy in Hiawatha.

Aiden has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Aiden's mom, Beth Babka, said it's believed Aiden developed cerebral palsy when he was a baby after suffering a stroke just days after birth.

“Aiden has a congenital heart defect and had heart surgery to repair the defect when he was only 11 days old,” said Beth. “It's believed he suffered a stroke during surgery.”

Since then Aiden has had two additional surgeries to repair his heart - one at six months old and the most recent procedure when he was three.

“We take Aiden to St. Luke's Witwer Children's Therapy once a week for physical therapy,” said Beth. “A few times during our therapy sessions, Aiden would use an adaptive bike and he really enjoyed it. It's one of the few things he can do independently, which is nice because it allows him to be like other five-year-olds.”

Not only is riding a bicycle a fun activity for children of all ages, it offers significant health benefits for children with disabilities.

An adaptive bike can cost over $3,000, a price that's out of reach for many families. Aiden's bike was made possible through money from St. Luke's Health Care Foundation, which was awarded a grant from the Dominick McDermott Trust, which created the Patient Assistance Adapted Bike Fund. This fund helps children ages 3-18 who may benefit from specialized equipment.

The Dominick McDermott Trust was created by the Last Will and Testament of Dominick McDermott. McDermott farmed most of his life near Melrose. He died in 1982, with no heirs, and directed his assets be placed in perpetual trust for the benefit of children with disabilities in the state of Iowa.

Aiden Babka is the third child - and final child this year - to receive an adaptive bike.

“He will be thrilled to receive this bike,” said Beth. “This is a wonderful Christmas present and it will allow him to enjoy PE class at school and ride near our home this summer. We are thankful for this great gift.”

Individuals who would like to contribute to the St. Luke's Patient Assistance Adapted Bike Fund may do so by calling St. Luke's Health Care Foundation at 319/369-7716 or log on to

stlukescr.org and click on the ‘Make a Gift' link.