CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – “As a mom, you never expect that it’s going to be your kid,” Daphne Graskewicz-Prado, 38, tearfully told Clarksville Now. “To be able to fix this, to fix one thing for her, it means the absolute world to me.”
These tears and gratitude are all for one thing: a sparkly pink walker for a little girl with big bows in her brown curls and a fluffy tutu.
Her name is Harlow Prado. She is only 2 years old, and she has the biggest personality. In September, she was diagnosed with TUBB4A leukodystrophy. It’s a rare disorder that attacks the nervous system, and with no known cure, it is terminal.
The ‘walka walka’
Harlow’s mom says that she adores her two siblings and loves being outdoors. Her current borrowed walker is a little small for her, and without all-terrain wheels, it can’t keep up with her playtime outside, especially when she wants to play in the leaves.
“She loves to walk around markets, and she loves to shop,” Daphne said. “She is the girliest girl that you can imagine at 2 years old. Anything that sparkles or is pink or Barbie-related, she is all about it.”
Although Harlow is only 2, she has the intellect of a 4-year-old. Already, she can count to 100, knows her ABC’s, and can even do some basic math.
“She’s not impacted intellectually at all,” Daphne said with pride, before regretfully saying, “I think that’s a blessing and a curse … because she does know. She looks around to other kids her age and she has looked to me and said, ‘Momma, that baby is walking. Why I no walk?'”
When the Prado family was looking to acquire a walker for Harlow, the 2-year-old kept telling her mom she was so excited to get a sparkly pink “walka-walka.” When they went to pick up the walker in its original form, it was purple. Daphne said her daughter dissolved into tears and said, “No, Momma, no, Momma. It’s not pink. It’s not my pink sparkle walka-walka.” Harlow was so upset, she refused to even stand in it.
Daphne had every intention of getting the walker painted and refurbished to fit her daughter’s wishes completely out of pocket. The Prado family, previously stationed at Fort Campbell, routinely visits Nashville for all of Harlow’s appointments, so mom took to Facebook and asked if anyone knew of a place that could paint the walker. Friends from Fort Campbell shared her post, and a short while later, Daphne received a message from Battle Born Coatings in Clarksville.
They offered to do it for free.
Battle Born Coating steps in
“Your vision is our mission.” That is the slogan of Battle Born Coating, owned and operated by brothers Russ and Trey Olson.
The Olson brothers are very familiar with children like Harlow. Battle Born Coatings regularly donates to benefits and charities of all kinds. Every year, Olson and his employees help out with Camp Rainbow, which caters to the needs of seriously ill children whose medical problems keep them from attending regular camps.
“Harlow’s mother is going through a really tough time,” Russ told Clarksville Now. “There are a lot of parts of Harlow’s condition that she has zero control over. When a little child like that wants something specific to make it more personal to themselves, anything that we can do to help means a lot to us.”
Harlow picked the colors for the walker and even the glitter. But the Olson brothers and an employee, Steffen VanGough, went a step further for her, getting her new hand grips and added stickers.
“Helping children in need is important to us, and knowing that we are making a small difference, just for one little girl,” Russ said.
Harlow gets her pink ‘walka walka’
On Dec. 8, the Prado family went to Nashville for an MRI appointment for Harlow. Afterward, they hit the road for Clarksville to go get Harlow’s pink walka-walka.
As Daphne helped Harlow out of her car seat, she was still tired and groggy from the MRI and the journey, but the moment she laid eyes on her new walker, it was smiles and awe.
“Pink!” Harlow whispered happily as she sat in her mother’s arms, letting her hands touch the walker. The moment was filled with smiling faces from the Olson brothers and Daphne, and they played Harlow’s favorite song, “Barbie Girl.”
As the Prados were preparing to leave, Harlow looked over her mother’s shoulder at Russ and Trey Olson, and in a small voice, she said, “Thank you for my pink walka-walka.”