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You may remember Jerome Flores from a story we did on him three years ago. He was paralysed from the waist down when he fell from a lamp-post in 2003. At the time he was only 21. He could have cursed his fate, and given up. But he didn't; he designed and built a specialized recumbent tricycle – which is a three wheeled bike that you power using your hands, not your feet. He's become a master at it, and is now planning a fund-raising three day ride from Corozal to Belize City. 90 miles on the road for a man who's paralysed? If it sounds like too much to even consider, think again, this is one determined and optimistic man. That's what Alfonso Noble found when he visited him in March 2006 – we reprise this story from our archives.

Alfonso Noble Reporting
Looking at this hand powered recumbent tricycle it would seem that it made its way into the country by special order from some renowned manufacturer. But as sleek and stylish as it is, this trike was designed and manufactured here in Belize and believe it or not by this young man.

24 year old Jerome Flores says that he took a week and a half to come up with the trike welding pipes, making the seats, adding the wheels and every single piece of trimming that the trike has on it.

Jerome Flores,
"This is my hand cycle bike, homemade, from scrap; just bought exhaust pipes and tubing and I put it together and I weld it together and so I made my own hand cycle. We start with the main frame which is made out of quarter inch pipes and we welded and formed the shape so I could sit in here. We welded it from there; we started with the back piece here and we weld this all together and then we put the front piece here and welded it on. That's simply it and for the welding here we used the body fill that you use so that we could hide the welding so that it doesn't look rough so we just use the body fill. It's a lot of work; a lot of time it takes to build. (It took) about a week and a half to put it all together and to get it painted and everything."

Ad he means everything: it has on a horn, lights, double brakes, gear shifters, a rear view mirror and even an additional seat in the back of the trike to carry his younger family members on rides. He says the recumbent became his passion after falling from a lamppost three years ago. The fall broke his back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. In his quest to regain his life two years ago he made the trike.

Jerome Flores,
"I couldn't afford it because when I checked on the internet it was too expensive and my parents couldn't afford it so I decided that I'd just buy the tubing and I'll weld it and put it together and make my own hand cycle because when my family and friends go to ride, I'd have my wheelchair and it was punishing to just be shoving and shoving like that. So decided better I just make my hand cycle so I could go further distance and to enjoy and to relax my mind.

I just wanted to exercise my mind because I was just lying down on the bed, don't have to do and so I decided that I'd just make the bike so I could out and catch fresh air and just think positive because sometimes you are just lying down on your bed and no one comes around, you just lie there and sometimes you get bed sores and all of stuff you get just staying one spot. So decided I'd do something that would exercise my mind and at the same time to exercise my body because you need your body to keep the blood flowing through your body more easier because any kind of thing could happen.

For me I used to work, I used to love to do things with my hands and now I am doing this with my bike, it exercises my mind and I worked on something and I feel good about something I made and put together and I designed so its something good and just to get out, just seeing people, meeting people, giving people encouraging words; anything. It just helps me because if I didn't do this, I would be in my bed just lying so I got the opportunity to go and ride with my friends, to meet people out there and let them know that I am not just lying in bed. I get up everyday and go and do something and feels good about it."

And now this philosophy of not being kept down is what is driving this young man. He says that anyone like him can keep on living despite any disability. The key he says if to find what motivates and inspires.

Jerome Flores,
"You don't just have to lie in the bed and do nothing. You could get up and could do as much as you want, just think positive. Individually they have to find what they love, what they like, and they work towards that but sometimes its stuff that they like and people will tell them they can't do it because they're afraid maybe they'll get hurt and stuff but as long as its something good and something positive, and it won't really affect them in no way, you just do your best. You give it your all and try to get someone to be there with you to help you inspire you. Welding a bike might not be it but like talking to someone, encouraging someone, you have to find out what you love and that's only way you can work towards that goal."

For Jerome the goal was to be able to move around despite his impediment and he found a way to do it literally building it and deriving joy from it.

And now the fund raising ride which starts in 15 days will be on a new recumbent tricyele. It's made of aluminium so it's much lighter, and he'll show it to us tomorrow – so tune in for that.