Bike Riders

This painting is of my friend Jamie Scholl and me, riding on my four-wheel series bike when I was a kid. Although I could pedal and steer from the back seat, Jamie surprised me with his ability to do it, with just his hands from the front seat. And it was more incredible to watch him get into this position knowing that he was paralyzed from the chest down.

After walking in the front, he released his crutches and flopped in the seat. Then, his hands unlocked his braces at the knees and twisted his bottom half, hoping that his legs would kneel on the footboard. They missed! They aimlessly went out behind him - dragging on the ground.

With his upper body strength, he not only pulled himself up but also yanked feverishly until his lifeless limp legs bent underneath him to kneel on the footboard. It was as though his legs belonged to a ragged doll, but through yanking and yanking he got them bent, so he finally could be on his knees. Then, he wanted to pedal the bike using his hands while he steered also. But while pedaling by hand, the force made his back completely doubled in an arch where his stomach was on his lap and his shoulder blades touching his rear! This doubling didn’t hurt, as his back was just as paralyzed and limp as his legs. We turned a sharp corner causing one leg to come off the board, but he grabbed the top of the bike and kept riding with me doing the pedaling for a change.