New wheels for Uncle Jack

(Updated)

We have a follow-up now to a story we first told you on Sunday — about a disabled man who had his e-bike stolen. Today “Uncle Jack” Timleck has a new set of wheels — thanks to a kind hearted CHCH News viewer.

Uncle Jack was all smiles as he rides off on his sleek new e bike.

But he wasn’t smiling when he left church on Sunday to find his e-bike gone: “People like me have to have a bike to get back and forth to the doctors, to hospital and stuff like that. It’s not right for people to take other peoples stuff.”

62-year old Uncle Jack has an acquired brain injury and the bike was his only form of transportation. His niece, Amanda Dale, says he was devastated by the loss: “He was sobbing. I’d never heard him cry like that before and it just sounded like a broken heart.”

Michael Angelo Pasquali saw the story of Jack’s plight on CHCH and wanted to help mend that broken heart: “We felt giving him a new bike was the right thing to do”

“Thank you very much Mike. I really appreciate it.” “No problem, how about a hug.”

Not only did Pasquali donate the e-bike, he also installed a heavy duty alarm system and gave Jack two locks to make sure this e-bike isn’t going anywhere Jack doesn’t want it to go.

E-bikes run between 2 and three thousand dollars so this is a big donation. Pasquali actually built the bike himself and installed custom features for Jack. Jack has trouble using his hands so the throttle is a special one that you don’t have to grip to make it work. It’s also got extra storage under the seat.