A Maple Ridge boy with cerebral palsy is undergoing therapy in Alberta with a new walking device his mother calls a game changer. 

Max Labelle was diagnosed with hypotonia at birth, a type of cerebral palsy, meaning he has low tone in his muscles. 

"He can't sit, stand, walk, crawl 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ like bear his own weight without help," described his mother, Jaime Labelle. Max has to be carried from one place to another and then he is either in a stroller or hiker. Max is also legally blind and deaf, he also has epilepsy, and he is non-verbal, which makes his life more complicated. 

However, last year, the family was introduced to a Trexo Robotics Exoskeleton, which is a made-in-Canada, state-of-the-art mobility aid helping children with disabilities walk, and, Jaime said, Max's whole demeanour changed. 

The exoskeleton gave Max the sensation of standing upright, and the motion of walking, for the first time in his life, she said. 

Based in Mississauga, Ontario, the company's founders, Manmeet Maggu and Rahul Udasi, came up with the Trexo exoskeleton to help Maggu's nephew who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2011, and was unable to walk independently. 

When the pair, who both studied robotics at the University of Waterloo, began looking for a solution, they discovered there was nothing on the market that would allow for children to walk, in a proper gait pattern, from a device that could be used at home.

So the friends built a robot, the Trexo, which has been evolving over time. 

Jaime said they happened upon the technology by fluke. 

As she was researching all things related to hypotonia cerebral palsy on Instagram, ads would pop up related to her searches. One ad was for a facility in the United States that offered intensive therapy for children like Max. Jaime wanted to bring Max to the facility, but when she contacted them, she was told there was a facility just like theirs in Calgary, Alberta. 

The Canadian Centre for Development, launched by Julie and Brian Rubin in 2021, offers intensive therapy for children with disabilities from neurological delays. 

Jaime took Max for a week during spring break last year and was impressed with the facility and what they offered. So they went back in early September, for two weeks. 

By this time the facility had acquired the exoskeleton and Max was able to try it out. 

The Trexo, explained Jaime, attaches to Max's lower legs and he is strapped into it at his hips and around his chest. It is run through software on a tablet and the robot, she said, will create the movement of walking for Max. 

A guide bar allows for somebody to steer the unit to keep him safe.

There are also different settings on the robot which sense how much movement Max is doing on his own, and how much the machine is doing. 

In those two weeks, said his mother, not only did his movements alone change, but so had his posture and his strength.  

And, added Jaime, it is important for Max to access this technology now, so that while his brain is still developing, he can hopefully teach himself to walk. 

"To help develop new neurological pathways in the brain to teach the brain how to do something it doesn't know how to do," she explained, noting the window to get the neurons functioning more efficiently is up to the age of six. The machine is also helping to strengthen his muscles and joints.

Max's parents were so impressed by the Trexo, they raised $41,000 to purchase a machine for their home, which they anticipate they will have by March.

Jaime still plans to take Max to Calgary for therapy two times a year. But, she is excited about his future with the at-home exoskeleton, and what it will mean when he starts school.

Max's mom wants other families with children like Max to know about this technology that is available to them and she also wants to encourage others to ask lots of questions of their doctors. 

"It's OK to advocate and be loud for yourself and for your kids and ask the questions and if you don't like the answer ask a follow-up question," she said.

And, she added, that it's OK to ask for help. 

Jaime noted that it takes a village and her family wouldn't be where they are with Max without help.

She hopes that one day the Trexo Robotics exoskeleton can become a staple in the therapies of other children.

To follow Max's progress go to: .