Posted on Thursday March 3, 2022
| “When I saw that yellow Amigo parked outside, I said to myself why Kathleen Dye’s here! I haven’t seen that cart since 1976 when it was parked outside the beer tent at Wurstfest, in New Braunfels, Texas! That Amigo looks great after 36 years!” Kathleen Schwertlich learned the value of resilience and positive mindset when her cards were dealt on day one with obstacles that would stand in her way the rest of her life. A rare diagnosis in the 1950s, Kathleen has had a journey with juvenile arthritis that quickly inhibited her mobility freedom at an early age. No stranger to the hospital, Kathleen has found herself in and out of appointments, tests and surgeries since birth. What would be a valid excuse for taking a negative stance on this world, Kathleen never wavered her contagious happiness and laughter. Even while her arthritis began impairing her walking ability, she remained optimistic and decided to attend college on foot. In 1974, Kathleen lived at Texas Lutheran University where her trek to class was nothing short of a challenge. Her juvenile arthritis had progressed to forming an upside down “Y” shape with her legs that made walking almost impossible. Seeing a man at the Houston Galleria driving an Amigo, Kathleen’s mother saw a light on her daughter’s journey that summer. “My mom arranged for a visit at his home so I could test drive it. My stepdad’s Lions Club bought it for me; by the beginning of my sophomore college year, it was pretty much eat my dust from there on. From that day forward my future trajectories of getting from A to B were forever changed. This inspiring Amigo invention, with its swivel seat, and compact weight, still make a big impact on my life’s productivity 48 years later.” Fast forward to February 2022, Kathleen is still cruising the streets of Texas on the same yellow Amigo from 1974. A statement of positivity and grit, the Amigo and Kathleen go hand in hand. Kathleen was asked by Texas Lutheran University in 2020 to speak about her journey and how the college changed her perspective on life’s challenges. Listen to the full video: https://www.facebook.com/1600322206/posts/10217101698046833/?d=n |
