SOUTH PARIS, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- 20 year old Joshua Kennison was born without hands or feet, but he has not let his disability define who he is or limit what he can do.
"I don't have hands and I don't have feet, but there is not much I can't do," said Kennison, moments before clicking his prosthetic legs into the clips of his specially designed bike and embarking on his first bike ride in over a decade. "You just have to have the right mind set."
The bike was a gift from the Sanford based non-profit, The Sisters' Wish. Sisters Beth Turgeon-Michalak and Amy Turgeon-Sevigny created the organization in 2008 as a way to honor their brother Craig, who fought a nearly 20 year long battle with Ewings Sarcoma.
"The goal of The Sisters' Wish is to provide wishes to terminally and chronically ill young adults, and that it will be the wish that will in some way improve their quality of life," explained Beth Turgeon-Michalak. Josh's bike is the 8th wish they've granted so far.
"It feels awesome to give back to our area," added Turgeon-Michalak. "We had a lot of community involvement that was helpful to us and to our family when our brother was sick, and this is sort of our way of giving back."
"It was something that we were nervous about doing," stated Jeff Erenstone, an expert at making athletic gear accessible. "After seeing him, we are not nervous anymore. He is pretty incredible."
Erenstone outfitted the bike with coaster brakes so Josh could use the pedals to slow down, added special clips to the pedals to hold his feet in place, made a stick-shift like knob so he could change gears and outfitted the handlebars with cups to cuff his arms so he could steer.
Josh now plans on making his first ride an adventure others with similar disabilities can draw inspiration from. After making a few final adjustments, Josh and a team of support riders embarked on a 60 mile ride from his home in South Paris to Camp No Limits where he works as a councilor. The summer camp is for kids who have experienced limb loss like Josh.
"Why I'm riding this is to inspire them and inspire everyone else who says you can't do something," said Josh. "You can do anything you set your mind to, you just have to have the right mind set and you have to surround yourself with the right people."
If you would like more information on The Sisters' Wish, including donating to the organization or nominating someone to have a wish granted for, you can find their website by clicking here.
NEWS CENTER