Capper Foundation helps young boy take first steps

Thursday was a landmark day for a young boy from Indiana.

17-month-old Noah Schultz, who is in town with his parents Christian and Magdalena visiting his grandmother, was born with CHARGE disorder. CHARGE disorder, among other things, can cause ear and heart abnormalities.

Because of his condition, Noah has been unable to walk on his own his entire life.

But that changed Thursday, when the Capper Foundation put him in a reverse-walker, just to see how he would do.

"Mr. Noah, who has not walked independently before, only with the aid of his parents holding his hands, just took off in a reverse walker for the first time,” Edie Smith, of the Capper Foundation, said. “We just set him in it, and he's like a natural, he knows what to do, and he just took off down our hallway. It was fascinating to watch. So, we're pretty proud of this little man and the accomplishments he made today."

Capper will let Noah borrow the walker for the rest of his visit, and he'll meet with his therapists when he gets home to possible get one of his own.

Noah has had several surgeries, including a cleft palate surgery and multiple surgeries on his heart. He is also deaf in his inner ear, which results in balancing issues.

Noah was visiting Capper because his grandma had a surprise for them. Kathy Schultz volunteers with the Sertoma Club, and she was at Capper to deliver a $1,000 donation on their behalf. The funds came from the proceeds of their annual duck race.