-Cheryl Freedman, Daniel’s mom
We are placed where we need to be…
Daniel and I, along with a friend and her son, were seated behind a random bunch of Ambucs at a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
We were where we were supposed to be…
Daniel forgot his “Terrible Towel” and one of the nice Ambucs named Donna Carlton-Vish loaned him hers so he could rev up the crowd in our section.
Daniel was supposed to forget his towel…
So a conversation would start.
They were where they were supposed to be…
This conversation grew into who the Ambucs are and what they do. This led to a question from Donna, “Can Daniel ride a bike? Would he ride if he felt comfortable and secure?” I indicated that he never felt balanced enough as he has had over eleven surgeries and procedures on his right hip. We asked Daniel and he said wasn’t sure if he wanted to ride. Donna continued to talk to him about the special Amtryke that would be made just for him. She asked Aimee Carter if she would be willing to fit him. Amy said, “Of course I will!” Daniel was convinced and said he would try out the bike.
Aimee and Donna were where they were supposed to be…
A few days later, we went downtown and met up with the fine folks from AMBUCS. Aimee put Daniel on an Amtryke and, WOW – the smiles came immediately. He rode all around the room chasing his Dad, laughing loudly.
Dad was supposed to be there…
Wonderful things continued to happen. Suddenly we had a sponsor for the Amtryke, Danville AMBUCS. We discovered that it could be assembled and delivered on Saturday when everyone else was to receive their Amtrykes. A whole team of Ambucs, whose names we do not know, made all of this happen. We were able to pay this gift forward with a donation, allowing our benefactor to use that money to sponsor another rider.
They were all where they were supposed to be…
Daniel received an Amtryke, and a new way to get around – who knew?!
All because we were where we were supposed to be….
Note: The Winter 2019 issue of AMBUCS Magazine ended up being extremely tight and this wonderful story lost all of its great pictures. They’re added here for you to enjoy.