About 15 years ago, Andrew McLindon, an entrepreneur and avid cyclist was riding his bike in Austin, Texas, when he thought about a friend’s 12-year-old son. The boy had never known the joy of biking because he suffered from hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain that often causes balance disturbances.
When he got home, McLindon, now 60, went online and found a three-wheel recumbent bike with a seat belt, perfect for a child with balance issues. Soon the boy was pedaling around the street with his peers, having fun and getting exercise. But there was more, as McLindon got from his friend’s reaction. “To see his son interacting with other kids,” McLindon says. “I’ll never forget the smile on his face.”
That smile launched the McLindon Family Foundation. Funded by donations, the group works with pediatric rehab clinics (儿科康复诊所) to find children who can benefit from owning an adaptive bike and to help craft each bike to the particular needs of the child. A bike may include a headrest, a shoulder harmess, a seat belt, and a caregiver’s steering and brakes in the back. The bikes are expensive: $3,000 to $4,000, and that’s with the foundation’s steep manufacturer’s discount, For kids lucky enough to get one, they’re a life changer.
“We worked with a 14-year-old who has spina bifida (脊柱裂),” says McLindon. “She spent most days on the couch watching TV. Soon after she got her bike, she was training for special-needs triathlons. In a magazine interview, she said, ‘I always knew there was an athlete in me.’”
So far, the foundation has given away 450 bikes, and that’s just a start. “I do a lot of things. I run a lot of companies,” McLindon says. “But getting these kids their bikes is the most important thing that I do.”
【小题1】What kind of disease is “hydrocephalus” ?(no more than 15 words)【小题2】What inspired McLindon to launch the McLindon Family Foundation?(no more than 15 words)
【小题3】What’s the purpose of the McLindon Family Foundation?(no more than 15 words)
【小题4】What does the bike recipient mean by saying “I always knew there was an athlete in me”?(no more than 10words)
【小题5】What kind of person do you think McLindon is? Please explain in your own words.(no more than 20 words)
