No one is left on the sidelines at these playgrounds
LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO. -- "Unlimited play builds inclusive playgrounds," is the motto behind Zachary's Playground in Lake St. Louis. It's named after 15-year-old Zachary Blakemore and built by an organization called Unlimited Play.
Zachary was born with a rare, life-threatening disorder called Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease. Zachary's mom, Natalie Blakemore, wanted her son to experience playgrounds like other kids, but his wheelchair and the playground's facilities prevented him from doing so.
Zach's parents raised money to build a playground that was accessible for all children, and now nine others just like it exist in the St. Louis area.
Josh and Annette Bauman took notice. They knew exactly what it was like to have a child on the sidelines.
"Our older son wanted to go to the playground, we either had to wheel Kade in his wheelchair and leave him off to the side or one of us had to stay in the car with him," remembers Josh Bauman.
Bauman's son Kade had Mitochondrial disease, a genetic disorder that took his life in 2011. He was only three years old.
When the Bauman's heard that Unlimited Play might partner with the town of Herculaneum to build a playground near them, they found the strength to get up in front of city leaders to express their support.
Then, as the plans started to take shape, the Bauman's learned that Kade would be remembered at an announcement they won't soon forget. The city's mayor named the new playground after Kade.
Watch the video above to see the emotional moment when the new playground was named after Kade Bauman.
Kade will never know the kids who will play there, but they'll know him.
"I think some of what was broken maybe and how much it hurts," says Blakemore. "This heals for Zach and for me."