How does VR help Mikey Strachan with his rare condition?

VR allows Mikey to experience activities like swimming with dolphins and playing football, providing him with a sense of normalcy and escape from his medical challenges.

What is Lifelites and what technology do they provide?

Lifelites is a charity that provides assistive and sensory technology, such as VR headsets and musical devices, to children with life-limiting conditions.

What challenges does Mikey face daily?

Mikey relies on a ventilator, has a complex medical condition that is undiagnosed, and requires 24-hour supervision, limiting his ability to participate in typical activities.

Home / Health / VR Transforms Life for Boy with Rare Condition

VR Transforms Life for Boy with Rare Condition

21 Dec

•

Summary

Virtual reality provides a rare teen access to adventure.
Teenager with undiagnosed condition uses VR to connect.
Charity Lifelites enhances life for seriously ill children.

VR Transforms Life for Boy with Rare Condition

A 13-year-old boy, Mikey Strachan, is experiencing life beyond his complex medical challenges thanks to virtual reality. Mikey lives with an extremely rare, undiagnosed condition that requires him to be on a ventilator for most of the day. This condition has severely limited his ability to interact with the world, attend school, or travel. However, the introduction of Meta Quest 3 VR technology, facilitated by the charity Lifelites, has opened up new possibilities for adventure and social connection.

Mikey's mother, Chevonne Newlands, describes the VR technology as "life-changing," enabling her son to feel like a normal teenager and temporarily escape his medical realities. Lifelites is dedicated to providing children with life-limiting conditions access to assistive and sensory technology, helping them to play, create, and communicate. This technology includes devices that translate movement into sound and interactive floor projections, among others.