A disabled man is once again able to meet friends and get to the gym, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.
Last week, The Surrey-North Delta Leader first reported the story of Brayden Walterhouse, a deaf man with cerebral palsy who had his specialized electric bike stolen from outside the Guildford Recreation Centre on Aug. 14.
The 20-year-old was distraught by the loss.
“It was required to (me) due to my cerebral palsy,” Walterhouse said in text message interview with The Leader Thursday. “And also, I can’t afford to buy a new one. It was $1,000.”
The reaction from the community was swift and generous.
Calls came in from Burnaby offering Walterhouse a brand new electric bike, and several offers of donations flooded into his mother.
“We are overwhelmed with the care and generosity of the community,” Sylvia Walterhouse said, “including some who offered their unused bikes or cash donations, as well support from Brayden’s co-workers at Home Depot. We appreciate it so much as it would have been really difficult for Brayden financially to replace the bike himself.”
An anonymous donor told his family to go to VELOcity Cycles in Langley to select a new bike. The donor would cover the cost.
Walterhouse was taken aback by the outpouring of generosity.
“I would like to be thankful for all of your support,” he said in a text interview.
“I am so glad that someone donated the money in order to let me buy my own brand new bike.”
kdiakiw@surreyleader.com
