AMHERST - Duran Beckstead can now do what many other 13-year-olds do - ride a bicycle.
Duran, who has cerebral palsy, had a wish granted through the Sunshine Foundation and was given an adapted tricycle Thursday at the Cumberland YMCA.
Seeing it come into the parking lot behind a police vehicle with sirens going, Duran knew right away it was his bike.
"That's my bike," he said, while family and friends looked on. "I want to get on my bike."
A few months ago, Duran tested one of the Freedom Concepts adapted tricycles Cumberland Early Intervention showcased. He asked his mother if he could take it home with him.
"It's just amazing," said Karen LeBlanc after watching her son take his first ride on his new purple bike. "Because of the price, we would never have been able to do this. It's through organizations like the Sunshine Foundation that this is possible. It's unbelievable."
LeBlanc wiped the tears from her eyes after watching Duran receive his bike, and continued to watch as Duran's father, Chris MacDonald, helped him onto it.
"I like my new bike. I'm going to go to Charlotte's (Ferguson, a former aide) house, and I'm going to the police station," Duran said.
MacDonald said the bike would give the pair more freedom.
"We walk everywhere (with his wheelchair). This will be more fun for us, give us better access and make it easier for us to get around. This will make him happy, and it's going to make him healthier," he said, adding it will help to strengthen Duran's legs.
Leonard Viel, a volunteer with the Sunshine Foundation, left Edmunston, N.B., at 3 a.m., Thursday to make it to Amherst.
"It's not about the time spent. It's about the smile and the joy you see on these kids' faces. You can't buy that," Viel said. "If you can make them happy, it's worth it."
Flanked by his siblings and biological mother, Paula Beckstead, Duran couldn't wait to go on his first ride.
LeBlanc said Duran wanted to ride his bike to Kentville to watch a sibling play soccer, and wanted to visit Ferguson, who was Duran's aide years ago.
Not being able to keep a smile from his face, MacDonald walked with Duran to the Amherst Police Department, which helped deliver the bike.
"When they're small, you don't think they're going to be able to do these things again. I get more from him than he gets from me," said MacDonald with a smile.
rtetanish@amherstdaily.com
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