KALISPELL — KALISPELL - We have an update to a Positively Montana story we brought you last month.
Jaxen Flores of Kalispell finally got his adaptive bike after two years.
The seven-year-old boy was diagnosed with Infantile Pompei disease, which causes muscular weakness and impaired mobility.
Jaxen’s mom, Erin Hoch, used Facebook to spread the word about a fundraiser for the bike and raised $2,000 in just five hours.
“It's just, it's hard to believe that it's actually here. I mean, it took so long to figure this out and get it you know, two years of trying to figure out what kind of bikes can we get because they're so expensive,” said Hoch.
The bike has many features including a parent assist handle, a basket to carry things, and a tray for activities while they are out.
The most important feature on the bike is a pulley system that helps make peddling easier.
To add to the fun and excitement of receiving the bike, Hoch hid it from Jaxen.
In order to not raise any suspicions, Hoch told her son the big boxes being delivered were for his “Daddy Jed.”
“Then he's like, 'you lied to me.' Like yeah, kind of hard to pick a balance there when you're trying to teach a kid not to lie,” said Hoch.
“Were you surprised?” asked Hoch.
“Yes!” said Jaxen.
The bike is designed to be adjustable and grow with Jaxen as he gets older.
The bike can also be converted to a stationary bike to allow for Jaxsen to practice riding it inside.
“So, I think just anything we can do to get him working more towards being independent. It's a fun idea that he'll be able to ride his own bike with us riding our bikes. It's exciting,” said Hoch.
“Thanks, everybody!!” said Jaxen.
