Josiah's Journey

It had to be just the right bike. 

We had tried other bikes over the years but Josiah didn't 'take' to any of them.

At the age of 11 he was still trying to squish his much too large body into an infant carrier on the back of my bike, just so he could ride.

This boy was so passionate about riding on a bike he would push open a double garage door by himself.  

Then he'd attempt to climb up into the infant seat.

For a long time, Josiah and I rode with me up front and him in back, his knees hitting me and my legs hitting him with each rotation of the pedals.

He did not care.

When Josiah gets revved up, when his energy level is through the roof, when he is so wired that he can't sit still, he needs an outlet.  

It has always amazed me Josiah understands that.

He seeks a release.

He either wants a ride in our van or a ride on a bike.  Both activities help calm him.

When I realized biking would help calm Josiah and also wear him out I started searching.

I did a Google image search for a disability bike and found the perfect one.  

That was in 2012 when Josiah was 10.  

Then last summer, when he was 11, Rick, Josiah and I went to the Abilities Expo in Houston.  I was stunned to see this very bike on display there.

We met James Wall from Freedom Concepts Inc., the company that manufactures these bikes and he encouraged us to try it.

So right then and there we took a spin all around the George R. Brown Convention Center.

We were surprised at how easy it was to pedal and steer.  I wanted to take one home that very day.  

James told us about Variety (a children's charitable organization) and sent us over to their nearby booth to talk with Amanda.  Amanda gave us a packet to complete and information about Variety.

We filled out the forms and mailed them away, knowing that without assistance from Variety, there was no way we would ever be able to acquire a bike like this for Josiah.

In December of this past year, we received a letter from Variety with an offer to grant close to half of the purchase price of the bike.  Incredible!  We were so thrilled.

A month later, James contacted us and said they had a bike in San Antonio that needed some replacement parts.  They could refurbish it for Josiah and our out of pocket expense would be considerably less than it would be for a brand new bike.

The bike was repaired, pieces replaced and it was all set to go.  The only hitch was the bike was 3.5 hours away in San Antonio.  Shipping it to us would be expensive.  Renting a truck to pick it up would be cost prohibitive as well.

Fortunately, friends of friends responded to a request on Facebook.  A huge thank you to those responsible for connecting us to those who so generously donated their time and truck(s) to drive Josiah's extra large bike from San Antonio to Houston.

Now, Josiah has an amazing bike that he adores. He rides up front and I ride in back.  No ones knees or legs are touching anymore.