WEYMOUTH, Mass — Actress Selma Blair has helped a Massachusetts stroke victim get around again by buying her an expensive mobility bike that insurance doesn't cover.
Reuters reports Lindsey Main lived an active lifestyle until her July 2018 stroke which cost her mobility.
Main noticed that Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, uses a walking bike known as the Alinker. Main reached out to Blair to learn about it but realized the $1,977 price tag was more than she could afford. So, Blair bought it for her.
Reuters says the bike was created by Barbara Alink from The Netherlands. Alink initially made it to help her elderly mother get around.
Walkers and scooters may cause the user to feel like they are losing a little dignity. If you ride a scooter, you are always seated and looking up when talking to someone. With a walker, the user is often hunched over or having to take a couple steps at a time before moving the walker forward.
The Alinker has three wheels -- two in front and one in back -- and the rider uses their feet to push it forward. It has a high saddle, so the user can sit at almost a standing height and talk to people at eye level.
RELATED: Selma Blair on undergoing chemotherapy, stem cell transplant for MS: 'I was out of options'
But the cost makes it hard for many people to obtain one. Reuters reports the Alinker is not classified as a medical device, so insurance companies won't cover it. That means patients who want one often end up forced to raise money through crowdfunding.
Thanks to Blair, Main didn't have to go that route. She said the bike has changed her life.
“I think movement actually is the best medicine. It’s like that saying: ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’,” Main told Reuters.
