Baffin Technology was founded by Marzena Komisarczuk in 2015 with the aim of finding a suitable solution to help her daughter, Sylwia, transfer from a sitting to standing position with as much ease as possible. Little did she know that she would end up helping so many children, occupational therapists (OTs) and physio therapists.

21-year-old Sylwia was born with cerebral palsy and, as a result of her condition, underwent hip surgery in 2015. As part of her recovery, it was vital that she spent time both sitting and standing. However, transferring from one position to the other was extremely painful for Sylwia and distressing for everyone involved.

It would often take over half an hour to transfer Sylwia from sitting to standing and after a short time she would need to be returned to a sitting position which would take another half an hour. Therefore, Marzena started looking at systems, which would enable Sylwia to transfer in one seamless movement.

Despite researching numerous products in the UK, the only suitable device that Marzena could find was the Trio standing frame, which was manufactured by LIW Care Technology that is ironically based in her native Poland.

Marzena took Sylwia to the company’s headquarters in Poland for an assessment and quickly realised that the Trio seating system, which supports and corrects the spine and moves the user from a sitting to a standing position, was the solution she had been looking for. However, despite talking to various charities and the NHS she was told they could not help as it was not available through a UK based company.

Marzena explained: “I had seen so much potential in the Trio and the other products available not just for my daughter but also many other children in the UK and realised there was only one solution.

“With the support of my husband, I set up Baffin Technology Systems, went back to Poland and signed an agreement to become the UK distributor for the full range of LIW Care products.”

Once Marzena had set up Baffin Technology Systems, the first client in the UK was, of course, Sylwia. The difference within six months was amazing, and Sylwia found being transferred from sitting to standing pain free, easier, and not upsetting.

Further bonuses of the Trio are that it gave Sylwia more confidence, as she could control the system herself to move from one position to the other independently and her health and breathing improved. Before using the Trio, Sylwia would often get coughs and colds as she was spending very little time standing. Six years down the road, she is still using her original Trio.

The Trio standing frame features Baffin’s patented and innovative Second Spine technology system and pioneering balance seat, which have been designed to create and support optimal positioning of the user’s spine and pelvis.

In addition, the Second Spine technology helps to prevent or significantly slow down the development of certain conditions, which can be achieved while the user continues to remain comfortable.

The technology anatomically maps the patient’s spinal curvatures, which allows passive correction of the spine in a seated position by supporting the entire length of the back to reduce pressure on the individual vertebrae. By doing so, the Second Spine technology also helps to prevent further distortions.

“As with any new business, the first few years were certainly a challenge but from day one LIW Care have been fantastic and supported me 100% as they also saw the potential in the UK market.” added Marzena.

“The products have also proved to be extremely popular with physiotherapists and occupational therapists here in the UK, as no one else can offer the Second Spine technology”.

“A lot of our business is from OT recommendations and word of mouth as parents will often talk to parents in a similar situation and recommend products to each other.

“When parents get in touch, they are often concerned about what paperwork and documentation they might need with regards to OT assessments and funding etc but it is our aim to make the whole process as simple and stress free as possible and guide them through every step”.

Over the last six years, Marzena and her team have helped hundreds of families from across the UK and further afield, with clients as far away as Australia who would otherwise been left struggling to find the correct equipment solution for their child.

Marzena concluded: “When I speak to healthcare professionals and parents’ and explain the journey behind me setting up Baffin Technology Systems, I think they relax as they know I can truly empathise with their situation and the challenges they face.

“I love my job and I know I am very lucky to be someone who looks forward to Sunday evening as I can’t wait to get to work on Monday morning and start helping more families benefit from the Baffin solutions which have changed my daughter’s life.

“Hearing about the positive impact we have on a child’s life makes my job incredibly rewarding and is why I set up the company in the first place.” Marzena concluded.

For more information on the full range of products available from Baffin Technology or to book a free presentation or assessment call 01788 892 056, email office@baffin.co.uk  or visit www.baffin.co.uk

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