Albert has been stating, in his words, that he wants a golf cart or some type of transportation to get around the neighborhood. I was surprised because I take him everywhere he wants to go, and most of the time I take him whenever he wants to go. He wants more independence and wants to do things on his own. We priced some golf cards and they were expensive and then we learned that Albert would need a driver’s license, to drive a golf cart in our neighborhood.
Our next option was to find a bike for Albert, and we went to the bike shop to see if we could find a bike to fit his needs. Because Albert is right side weak and his knee doesn’t bend as it did before the stroke, getting on the bike was difficult for him. He got on the bike and fell off of the bike many times, but he was a trouper. Balancing on the bike was harder than we both thought it would be. Albert can’t flex his right foot so peddling was difficult, as was keeping his feet on the pedals. Other customers and employees were looking at us puzzled, but we were on a mission. We stayed at the bike shop for a while before we both looked at each other in frustration, put the bike back on the rack, and walked out of the store. We realized that Albert needed an adult tricycle that would provide the balance that he needed to ride and the ability to strap his feet into the peddles.
We began looking online for a tricycle and found someone in our neighborhood who was selling his electric tricycle, which the user could peddle or drive. We went to the seller’s house to check out the trike. The seller had owned the trike for several years and had ridden it in competitions across the state, one event from Houston to Austin, TX. The trike was in great shape and I hoped that it was a good fit for Albert.
It was love at first sight. Albert saw the trike and smiled. He drove it as soon as the owner gave him the opportunity and went down the driveway and then down the street. The further away he went, I began thinking, where’s he going? He turned the trike around and came back into the cul-de-sac but didn’t get off of the trike. He road in circles, and then down the street and around the corner again, and then finally back to the house. He was elated.
The best part of the trike was that the brake and the accelerator were both on the bike’s left side. Since the stroke, Albert’s strong side is his left side. He is able to drive, turn corners, accelerate and use the brakes all with his left hand. If this form of transportation for Albert wasn’t from God, I don’t know what is. Remember, James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” This was the perfect gift to Albert.
We bought the trike and I believe it was the best day of Albert’s post-stroke life.
Learning to Live Life and Loving it - Carol Johnson Blogs 