BOSTON (WHDH) - Toby Thompson is paying it forward.
Thompson, who is living with cerebral palsy, had the battery on his motorized tricycle stolen earlier this month in downtown Boston.
Friends quickly mobilized, starting a Go Fund Me page to raise money for a new battery so he could get around.
“I was just overwhelmed by all of the money that came in it far exceeded the cost of a battery,” Thompson said.
Thompson now has a new battery.
And he decided to donate the rest of the money to Bug’s Bikes, a nonprofit started by 10-year-old Steven “Bug” Deangelis.
“We give away bikes like mine for kids like me,” he said.
Bug, who is legally blind and living with autism, started the organization when he was just 5 years old to help provide adaptive bikes to children who couldn’t afford them.
These bikes can often cost well over a thousand dollars.
“One of my friends at bike camp couldn’t take home her own bike, and I just really wanted her to have her own bike,” he said.
Thompson and Bug are old friends.
Thompson used to work with Bug’s mother and raced Bug the day he got his first adaptive bike five years ago.
Bug’s family says they can’t thank Thompson enough.
“We’re just blown away with the generosity when he came back and told me how much he wanted to donate.”
“Thankful that from an unfortunate situation, something good can come out of it. That’s how we like to live our lives, make good things happen and Toby is just a great guy.”
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