High schooler remodels toy car to help 3-year-old with disabilities

SAN ANTONIO (KSAT) - A 3-year-old boy with a muscular condition that makes it difficult to get around will be able to move more independently, thanks to a toy car modified by a high school senior.

Yetzael Enriquez Perales, 3, has nemaline myopathy, a disorder that causes muscle weakness throughout his entire body and makes it difficult for him to breathe on his own. He depends on his mother, Brenda Perales, for almost everything.

“The first year, I would ask, ‘God, why? Why us?’ But now, I ask, ‘For what?’ Because he has a purpose,” said Perales through a translator.

Now, Marcelo Martinez Sotomayor, a senior at TMI Episcopal, has turned a three-month school assignment into endless new memories and opportunities for Yetzael.

Using a 3D printer and store-bought materials, Martinez Sotomayor modified a red toy car to fit the 3-year-old’s body and added a trailer to hold his medical equipment. He made two joysticks the controls of the gas, brakes and steering.

“I designed these components in my computer,” Martinez Sotomayor said. “I did have to rewire it, which I would say was probably more on the difficult end of this whole project.”

With the gifted toy car, Yetzael will be able to move around independently, something his mom is grateful for.

“He’s going to have that liberty to be able to move where he wants because he likes to make decisions on his own, too,” Perales said.

It’s safe to say Martinez Sotomayor passed his assignment.

“Thank you so much. Keep doing this for more kids, for more people, and continue helping the community of San Antonio,” Perales said.

Copyright 2024 KSAT via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.