As a 51 year old female, and a 6 year owner of a lovable i2. (from my perspective at least
), I am happy to have found others who enjoy life with a Segway! Together we have cruised through crowds, shopping the malls, from the boardwalks of Florida to the beaches of Lake Michigan and enjoyed every moment. The i2 seems to "throw" a fit in deep sand though, sending the rider head first as it spins on it's one stable wheel, but never without standing proudly upward, while caught in the sand, waiting for me to do the same. My love affair with the Segway began at Disney World, back in 1999, seeing one for the first time and falling hook, line and sinker. In 2005, with the onset of a neuromuscular disorder (mitochondrial disease), caused from an environmental toxin, the road to my lovable i2 began. In 2008, after difficulties managing a scooter in and around classrooms, (as a professor, I liked to roam the aisles during lectures), I made an impulse buy while away at a conference and the rest is history......almost.
My love for the i2 continues, but sadly it does not. The batteries died this winter of 2013. With the loss of my job, (due to the disease), and the advent of retirement while still in my forties, I have not been able to replace the two "juice boxes" that took me to some many places I cannot otherwise go. I have a power-chair in my house (although I preferred the Segway), but no way to transport it elsewhere. I truly miss getting out and about. My portable ventilator fit onboard and I had the freedom to go. I would love to find out if there are batteries out there that could be donated to those in need of such a life giving gift. Should anyone know of a thread where I would ask such a question I would be grateful for the link up.
In the meantime, it sits, clean and shiny, waiting for the day we begin making memories again. Where I can "stand" and talk in crowds, get off and sit so others who long to try a Segway, and have what is sometimes a once in a lifetime chance, to feel the freedom that I had once lost due to illness, but then found again, thanks to my loveable i2!
. For now I will wait for the repair and read about the journeys, trials, tribulations and adventures of all who post on segwaychat.org. Keep on rolling!