09/03/2026
We’ve spent the past two days at the AT Alabama Conference, meeting some incredible people, learning, connecting, and sharing the mission of Iron City Trykes.
But today, one conversation stopped me in my tracks.
A gentleman in a power wheelchair came by our booth and began talking with us. He shared that he had been paralyzed in a car accident when he was 18 years old. Before his accident, he loved riding a bike.
As he looked at the adaptive bikes at our booth, he told us something I don’t think I’ll ever forget:
“Don’t underestimate the joy you all are providing to everyone who receives a bike. There is a level of freedom that comes from riding, so just don’t underestimate it.”
Freedom.
We talk a lot about mobility. Independence. Inclusion. Therapy. All of those things matter.
But sometimes we need to be reminded that what we’re really giving someone might simply be JOY.
And then the conversation went somewhere even deeper.
He began talking about his life and his faith. He explained that happiness comes and goes depending on circumstances, but the joy he has can’t be taken from him because his joy comes from Jesus.
Here was a man whose life changed completely at 18 years old, sitting in front of me talking not about what had been taken from him, but about the joy he had been given.
I told him, “You need to be speaking at conferences like this. People need to hear your story.”
His response?
“I AM.”
One person at a time.
He told me that every chance he gets, he shares his story and points people toward his faith and the source of his joy. Sometimes he’ll go to the park and simply wait for the Lord to put someone in his path.
Wow.
We came to the AT Alabama Conference hoping to tell people about Iron City Trykes.
Instead, today someone stopped by our booth and reminded us why we do it.
Don’t underestimate the joy.
Don’t underestimate the freedom.
And don’t underestimate the impact you can have on one person at a time.
What an incredible reminder that sometimes the most important moments at a conference aren’t the presentations or the exhibits.
They’re the conversations you never planned to have.
