As an 8-year-old, Noah would pedal around the cul-de-sac in his Madison, Wisconsin, neighborhood, showing off hard-won biking skills his mom had patiently taught him over the course of multiple years.
“He loved it,” says Noah’s mom, Lucille Marchand. “And then one day, he said he was done.”
Noah on his bike as a child
Noah on his bike as a child. Photo courtesy of Lucille Marchand.
But Noah’s sudden change of heart went beyond what might seem like the typical fickle nature of childhood interests. Noah, now 28, is autistic, with limited verbal expression, leaving his mother to speculate about his reasons. An avid biker, she was devastated to lose both a connection point with her son and a way for him to explore his surrounding community.
