Steven S. Kreitz, 60, of Lower Heidelberg Township, passed away on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The IM ABLE community will miss him dearly.
(Story by WFMZ-TV 69 News)
It’s said that you never forget how to ride a bike.
Steven Krietz of Wernersville didn’t forget. He was no longer able to, after an accident at Blue Marsh Lake in 2003 changed everything.
“I went fishing. It was just supposed to be a normal night fishing,” Krietz recalled. “Being run over by a boat changed my life.”
Krietz had to have his leg amputated above the knee.
“Confusion,” Krietz said, recalling his feelings after the accident. “‘Why did this happen to me?'”
Seventeen years later, Krietz is getting back on trails on a new kind of bike. The Wyomissing-based IM ABLE Foundation gave him a new, $9,500 adaptive bike, fitted specifically to him.
“I like being on the trails and just being outside, and with this bike, I’ll be able to do that again,” said Krietz.
The foundation didn’t just remove an obstacle. It gave him the ride of his life.
“The IM ABLE Foundation is one of the best foundations we have here in Berks County,” said state Rep. Mark Rozzi. “To give hope and opportunities to the disabled is just amazing. It’s given them that hope that life doesn’t end with an injury.”