Citrus Heights mom, grandmother on mission to build public playground for disabled children

By Mike Hazlip—
At just six months old, Michael Alex Steven Sellu III had a seizure, and now his mother and grandmother are working to build a public playground with equipment that will be accessible to Sellu and other children who use wheelchairs.

Sellu is now 16, and his mother, Ashley Walker-Benjamin, cares for her son full time in Citrus Heights. She said her family is her main support system and lives with her mother, Aurelia Walker, who also helps care for Sellu.

“It’s been tough,” Walker-Benjamin said of caring for her son. “But he definitely keeps me strong, keeps me grounded.”

After that first seizure at six months old, Walker-Benjamin began a search for answers for her son. Initially diagnosed with Febrile seizures, it wasn’t until 2014 that a genetic test revealed Sellu has Dravet Syndrome, a type of epilepsy that begins in infancy. The syndrome progresses throughout an individual’s lifetime, significantly impacting their abilities, according to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation.

Sellu eventually gained some ability to walk and could talk in short sentences until he experienced a set-back that the family calls “the incident.” In February, 2019, Sellu experienced a prolonged seizure, eventually leading to hospitalization and went into liver and kidney failure. The resulting brain swelling left Sellu unable to communicate verbally and he now requires the use of a wheelchair for mobility and Walker-Benjamin feeds him through a gastrostomy tube.

Although she called her son “strong,” Walker-Benjamin acknowledged there are times Sellu is troubled living with Dravet.

“I know sometimes he gets bothered by it, I just know, but he’s pretty strong, he’s a strong guy,” Walker-Benjamin said. “But for me, it’s just hurtful to see my son go through something so tragic, but he’s just really resilient.”

Their daily routine starts with getting ready for school at about 6 a.m. Walker uses a lift installed in Sellu’s bedroom ceiling to bring her grandson out of bed and into the wheelchair while Walker-Benjamin prepares breakfast along with a regimen of medications for her son.

Sellu attends the Ralph Richardson Center in Carmichael, a school in the San Juan Unified School District that serves students with functional needs, Walker-Benjamin said. The school has specialized equipment that enables the students to exercise and play, Walker said. Now, she is seeking support to build a public playground with similar equipment that other children can use.

“The reason why I opened this nonprofit, it wasn’t about Michael, it was about Michael’s friends,” Walker said, noting they have a close family support network that other families sometimes lack.

The modifications to Sellu’s home and vehicle were possible through various programs, and made easier because the family owns their Citrus Heights home. Families living in rental properties or who have financial hardships face greater challenges, Walker said. Language barriers are another hurtle for families seeking assistance or obtaining permission from landlords.

Walker aims to help those families through her nonprofit, Mike’s Playground. Beginning with the playground itself, she hopes the organization will grow to serve other families.

“We want to be a bridge, we want to bridge the gap, we want to make a difference here,” Walker said. “How we can do it is, I want to help the under-served families with disabled children.”

More information about Mike’s Playground can be found online at mikesplayground.org.