SAN ANTONIO – Four children weren’t limited by the boundaries of their wheelchair Thursday, thanks to the Methodist Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation team. The hospital team, with the help of San Antonio Zoo staff, coordinated an interactive therapy session complete with rhinos and tortoises.

  • Rehabilitation therapists set up special equipment
  • Turned therapy session into fun experience
  • Provided by Methodist Children's Hospital

The rehabilitation therapists set up a piece of equipment that allowed the children to stand and walk with the tortoises and even pet the rhinos.

“This gives them the opportunity to be upright with their peers, their siblings, and their family. They’re able to do exactly what their sisters and brothers are doing,” Tiffany Neal, Pediatric Physical Therapist said.

Neal says the outing turned a therapy session that can be difficult and tiring for the child, into a fun and memorable experience.

“These kids come to therapy every single week and work so hard for the goal of walking, and this gives them the opportunity to tie that goal together for a recreational purpose,” Neal said.

Methodist Children’s Hospital hopes to provide more experiences like this one to even more of its patients in the near future.