Slippery sidewalks and streets in Maple Ridge are seriously hampering the mobility and freedom of an 11-year-old boy.
Aidan Kelly has spinal muscular atrophy and relies on a motorized wheelchair to get around.
“It feels like he doesn’t have as much freedom, it really does,” father Owen Kelly said. “We’re really trapped inside.”
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As a single dad, Owen chose to live in an apartment close to Aidan’s school. Owen doesn’t have a vehicle so Aidan typically uses his wheelchair to get to class, but the icy roads have made that commute too dangerous.
“I’m missing my friends,” Aidan said. “I love my work and it’s depressing that I have to miss two days of school.”
“It just sucks, there’s nothing I can do,” Owen said. “It just feels like we’ve been ignored.”
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When Global News called the City of Maple Ridge to ask about the icy roads, they sent two trucks to salt and sand the street right away. Sadly, it won’t help Aidan much as his heavy wheelchair is too cumbersome to push out to the sanded road.
For now, Aidan is stuck indoors, studying at home with his dad until there’s a break in the weather.
– With files from Lynn Colliar
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