At Chantilly Academy on Tuesday afternoon, senior Sebastian Nowicki held a measuring stick against a mobile medical bed situated in the back of the classroom.
He highlighted newly installed storage containers underneath the main frame as a few of his peers watched on. A few minutes later, the discussion transitioned to decorations.
With the final days of the school year approaching, the Fairfax County, Virginia, students are putting the last touches on a medical bed that’s been two years in the making. With help from physical and occupational therapy students, the engineering group is creating the bed for Liam Bruen.
Bruen, an eighth grader at Rocky Run Middle School, has a type of muscular dystrophy that prevents him from remaining in an upright position for long periods of time. He used to be able to attend in-person classes with help from a nurse, but she recently retired, so Bruen received instruction at home this year.
But with help from the Chantilly Academy students, Bruen will have a way to navigate the halls of Chantilly High School as a freshman next fall. The bed is constructed in a way that’s expected to be comfortable for Bruen and manageable for the next nurse to use.
“I see a student like Liam, who just wants to come to school and be around his friends and learn, learn in the school environment, like all of his friends do,” said Lindsey Grilliot, the physical and occupational therapy teacher. “And so to be able to offer a way for him to do that has just been really neat.”
The process started last year, when Grilliot worked with her then-students to create a slideshow detailing how such a bed can be built. The class pitched it to auto tech, carpentry and engineering students.
Over time, Grilliot said, it became clear that the engineers would be the best partners.
Every few weeks, the therapy students consulted the engineers on how to make the idea a reality. When Bruen arrives at school, he has to transfer out of his wheelchair fairly quickly. He also has a vent and a feeding tube, so the table had to be crafted in a way that made those things accessible.
Because Bruen depends on many of the materials that will be placed on or alongside the medical table, Michael Piccione’s engineering students made 3D or cardboard versions of almost everything. They presented their ideas to county leaders, Bruen’s parents and the therapy students. Then, they started prototyping and building.
“We’ve been designing stuff on computers, we’ve been making sketches, we’ve been researching Liam’s disability, all of his needs,” Nowicki said. “We’ve really only started assembling the bed in the past month. … We went from having basically just sketches and 3D models to, in a couple of weeks, we have a fully functioning product right here in the lab.”
The bed has mounting parts for things such as Bruen’s ventilator machine. It will have hooks, in case anything needs to be hanging. There are multiple outlets, so his machines are powered even when the bed is rolling down the hallway.
Baskets below the bed can hold Bruen’s laptop or other extra materials. The group tested it in different areas to see which doors it can fit through, but it can’t fit in the elevator.
The group consulted a George Mason professor and engineer for feedback. A grant from nonprofit Educate Fairfax funded the project.
“Having a problem that was given to us that’s a real problem is very valuable because the solutions that we design and what we’ve been working toward are actually going to be used,” senior Tara Magill said.
Bruen recently stopped by Chantilly Academy to get a firsthand look at the mobile bed. The students got to see his excitement firsthand.
“I’m so excited for Liam because it opens this new chapter for him,” therapy student Kirsten Park said. “He’s just been confined to one classroom, and he gets to now travel around and meet new people and see different things. It’s exciting to be a part of something that’s going to be life-changing for somebody.”
Bruen needs a nurse to be with him at all times, and the search is on to find a new one before the new school year starts. For the Chantilly Academy students, the focus is on making sure the bed is ready for the first day of class.
“This is just only the start of what can be done inside the classroom translated to outside a classroom for a lot of people that need the help and support,” therapy student Jayne Parish said.
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