With so much bad news out there, it’s easy to lose a little faith in humanity, but then stories like this one come along to bring it all back, proving that people’s goodness and kindness can always shine through. It was in August of this year that a boy named Beorn, known as ‘Bubba’ to his friends and family, had his bike stolen.
Bubba loves in the Phoenix area in Arizona and was born with a rare genetic disease that means he’s unable to speak and has to spend his days in a wheelchair to help him get around. The specially made bicycle he had helped him go out on rides with his family.
It was a huge part of his physical therapy and allowed him to enjoy a regular part of life that so many of us take for granted. It was so important to him, and it was worth several thousand dollars, so when some cruel and thoughtless person decided to steal it, Bubba’s family was left in a tricky situation.
Bubba’s mom, Stephanie, had four other kids to look after and simply couldn’t find the cash to afford a replacement. So, she decided to share the story on social media. She didn’t expect much of a response, but she was blown away by what happened next.
When all this started, I was upset someone had taken my boy’s bike and knew it would be years before I could replace it. I was disheartened, to say the least. I felt like there was no point in reporting the loss, but I’m so glad I was persuaded to do it. Instead of being a bitter experience, it has turned into this amazing thing I could have never of imagined. I was excited when we had over 100,000 shares – my mind is still blown! The overwhelming response of support and love for my boy brings me to tears.
Suddenly, kind strangers were offering to buy Bubba a brand new bike and others were setting up fundraising pages on GoFundMe to raise cash for a replacement too.
Then, someone from AMS Vans, a company that makes wheelchair-accessible vehicles, heard about the story and saw that the family actually owned one of their vans. The employee got in touch with the managers at work and asked if there was anything they could do to help the family out.
Touched by the story, the company immediately reached out to Bubba’s family and offered him a brand new, custom-built bike, totally free.
General manager Randy Shiller had this to say: “Our mission is to really provide independence through mobility solutions. While we do sell vans, Bubba’s independence was getting on the bike and riding with his brothers and sisters.”
A month later, everyone gathered together at a local park, including news crews and all of Bubba’s family, with AMS Vans representatives presenting him with the brand new bike, that even has a custom license plate with his name on it.
Moments later, Bubba was back on the road, riding happily with his family. It’s wonderful to such an incredible act of kindness for someone in need! Learn more in the video below.
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