Archer Jagodzinski, a 2-year-old boy from Plantation, Florida, is melting hearts across the world with his expert wheelchair spins and his adorable laughter. His happiness is contagious and has put smiles on millions of faces as clips of the little one have gone viral on TikTok.
In April, Archer’s mom, Kassey Jagodzinski, 22, shared a sweet video with the caption, “Livin’ his best life,” in which baby Archer sits in his wheelchair spinning, laughing, and clapping. And in the past month, that viral video has gained more than 6 million views and more than half a million likes.
The mom of two had no idea how popular the video might become.
Jagodzinski told Good Morning America she never could have dreamed that Archer’s video would catch the attention of so many people. She often "shares snippets of her family life online," but nothing has ever gone viral like this. Kassey uses her social media platforms to raise awareness of spina bifida, a condition that affects Archer.
What is spina bifida?
According to the Mayo Clinic, spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't come together properly — a type of neural tube defect. "The neural tube is the structure in a developing embryo that eventually becomes the baby's brain, spinal cord and the tissues that enclose them."
As Jagodzinski told Good Morning America, “[Archer] was diagnosed with spinal bifida when I was 20 weeks pregnant. We had no clue what was going on because the ultrasounds and the MRIs looked like it was just a fluid-filled sac but when he was born, we found out that it had nerves involved. So he is paralyzed [from] the hips, waist area down. He's never moved his legs.”
Once Archer was mobile, there was no stopping this little guy.
With his little blue wheelchair from Frog Mobility, Archer has been as active as any able-bodied toddler. According to Jagodzinski, “It’s called the GoBro. Once we put him in that one, he just clicked and he figured it out immediately.”
@kdjag Livin’ his best life #spinabifida #spinabifidaawareness #wheelchair #toddler #spinabifidawarrior #spinabeautiful ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
“Once he was able to be mobile, it just exploded because as soon as he started wheeling around, he started rolling over,” Jagodzinski told Good Morning America, adding that he loves his GoBro.
“Then as soon as he started doing that, he started to crawl and as he was scooting around on his bottom at the same time, he was into everything and being able to just be like a normal kid, instead of sitting down all the time,” Jagodzinski said while beaming.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
This little boy isn’t letting anything stop him. Archer’s got the will and he is finding a way to do everything he wants to and to not only be happy but to share his joy with others.
“He's got a big personality and attitude," Archer’s mother told the morning show. “He is super determined to kind of do and get whatever he wants. He's hilarious. He's always making us laugh. He's a talker.”
Archer’s father, Clark Jagodzinski, agreed, telling Good Morning America, “He’s very friendly in grocery stores. He's constantly just waving at everybody, saying hi, like saying bye-bye to everybody.”
For the Jagodzinskis, the last two years with Archer have been completely "life changing."
“He's grown so much in just such a short time. He's only 2 years old and he's the most amazing kid we've ever met," Kassey Jagodzinski told the morning show. “He is stronger than anybody I know. … He was in the NICU for two weeks, so even as a 2-week-old little NICU baby, he was just pushing along and he was off his IVs and off his oxygen before they were expecting him to and it's amazing how he just defied the odds.”
*Disclaimer: The advice on Cafemom is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
