When they came back Patti took the lead. “We have been talking to Carl Higgens and his son Carl Jr. We would like to spend more time with them but we have the other half of the family here.”

Carl broke in, “The smarter and prettier portion of the family.”

Everyone laughed. “So let’s bring in Julie and Janice Higgens.” She turned and the camera went on the two. “I believe Carl is definitely right about the prettier but the smarter is up for grabs. I think the two guys I just talked to are pretty wise.”

Julie smiled, “They are. They sometimes don’t realize how smart. They have been pretty hard on themselves for a while but I have to give them A’s or B’s for almost everything.”

Janice added, “Before I got help but almost no encouragement. Now I am not sure I would want to try everything that they think I can do.”

Julie continued. “Both of us biked, I mean regular bicycles, before the accident. Carl is really good with mechanics, Carl Jr. is good for a guy with less experience. They went through about four ways to modify our bicycles to be usable. They started out good and each got better.”

Janice picked up. “Yes. The first I had to wear my cosmetic prosthesis, which is heavy, and I had to do almost all the work with my good leg. It was fine on flat areas but up hill was hard. It took a couple months but they improved that some to make it easier.”

“We had an area about three miles from home we could ride easily and another two with some work. It was nice to be able to ride. Neither of us were able to really run.”

“We had a stump revision about four months after we were on the show and they figured out how to fasten the foot of a leg we could drive with our stump to the pedal that gives nearly the power with the left leg that we get with the right. They also came up with a disconnect that is almost like a foot coming off the pedal in case we have to get off fast.”

“Carol talked dad into trying to patent it. Mr. Fritz found out, called us and asked if he could finance the patent if he could get ten percent of what it is worth. Dad said that ninety percent of something is better than a hundred percent of nothing. The patent went through. One of the companies that make legs contacted us three months ago to start making the device. Dad gets a royalty on every one they sell.  They are paying dad as a consultant to figuring out how to adapt it to various bicycles. We get a new bike, he figures it out, Carl helps him make it, mom and I test it, he sends off the result and the bicycle to them. Before it is gone we get another bicycle. I get a cool new bicycle about every week.”