AT-AT Walker walker assists young surgery patient

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AT-AT Walker walker assists young surgery patient

April 8th, 2013

Peter Nolan

Looks like the Imperial Army offers good health insurance coverage.

(Credit:
Stephanie Kaloi/Offbeat Families)

Stephanie Kaloi’s 4-year-old son recently went through surgery and came home with his knees immobilized and a walker to help him get around. That’s a big damper on the normally active life of any young kid. After sending out an Instagram of the walker, a friend suggested that it looked a bit like an AT-AT. Soon, a pint-sized “Star Wars” AT-AT Walker walker was born.

Comic artist Ben Dewey volunteered his skills to translate the movie machine into a form that would fit on the walker. The walker now has AT-AT legs and a head and a control panel featuring the leader of the Imperial forces, Darth Vader himself. I guess this makes the tyke a Sith Lord-in-training.

Kaloi writes in Offbeat Families, “…our son happily walked all around our living room firing lasers at us for nearly an hour without once being scared that the walker would cause him pain. He’ll need the walker for another three weeks, and having him happy to use it is a huge leap forward for his recovery.”

Naturally, the walker ended up on the “Star Wars” subreddit. In a magical moment of science fiction franchise crossover, William Shatner chimed in by saying, “Very clever! I bet he loved it!” It was sweet of Captain Kirk to offer a cheer across universes.

I’m filing the AT-AT Walker walker concept away for when I’m old and decrepit. I’ll be the coolest geek in the nursing home some day, so long as no one shows up with a light saber cane.