Special bicycle gives a taste of freedom to Veterans Home residents

Residents at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau have been more mobile than usual lately, thanks to a recent donation, and soon will be even more so. As more than 100 people gathered for music and barbecue Saturday afternoon, a wheelchair bicycle tandem could be seen looping around the parking lot.

The money to buy the special bike was raised by the American Legion Riders, Chapter 158, of Jackson, who saw a similar bike while on a ride and resolved to acquire one for the Veterans Home, said facilty volunteer coordinator Debbie Monroe.

"They approached us and said they wanted to donate one to us, and we said, 'Yes, of course we would like to,'" she said. "'That would be great for us.'"

And, she said, it has been.

"It really gives them a sense of what they can do," she said.

Charlotte Blow, whose husband Wilbur "Joe" Blow enjoys the tandem bicycle rides, said the fact the bike was donated by a motorcyclist group is fitting, because she and Joe used to ride a motorcycle together.

"Someone is always telling them what to do, telling them where to stand, taking them by the arm to where they need to be," she said of the residents. "When they're out riding the bike, it's not like that. They're a little more free. It reminds him of what it's like out on the bike."

Blow, who was wounded while serving in World War II, said the bike rides are invigorating.

"I feel like I was 50 years younger," he said. "And I'm 93 now."

Eighty-seven-year-old Army vet Frank Dybel said the same.

"It makes me feel young again," he said. "It kind of wakes me up a bit and reminds me of the old days when I used to ride a bike, and this one I can't fall off of."

The bike was so well-received by residents, in fact, it caught the attention of another donor.

"We got a call from a woman who insisted she remain anonymous," she said. " She explained that she had a veteran with mobility issues in her family as well, so it touched their hearts."

Initially, the donor offered to buy another tandem bike for the facility. But after discussing it with Monroe, they determined the residents would benefit more from having a second activity bus, toward which end the person donated $10,000.

"We have one already, but it's only large enough to take about half of the amount of people who want to go at a time," Monroe said.

Staff at the Missouri Veterans Home take the residents to places such the SEMO District Fair, casino, ballgames, fishing and sometimes just country drives, Monroe said, adding a second bus will help them take anyone who wants to attend.

Dybel said the group outings are something he enjoys, so the prospect of a new van is welcome news.

"I went to the last baseball game we went to, which we won 4-0 by the way," he said. "It was my first baseball game, too. I couldn't ask for a better time."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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