Jadyn Douse got a BC Transit bus for his 24th birthday. And a fire truck. And a police cruiser. And other great two and four-wheelers that were part of a unique and touching ‘Drive-By Birthday Party’ organized by his family and support workers.
“Jadyn’s support worker saw something similar on Facebook and told me it might be a good way to celebrate his birthday,” said Jadyn’s mom Tracy Barton. “He’s always been into vehicles, and buses in particular so we started planning.”
Jadyn has cerebral palsy and a compromised immune system, along with other challenges, that keep him from venturing off his group home property. The closest thing he has to external interaction is waving at traffic driving past. He hasn’t been allowed any contact, even with his family, since the start of the pandemic. So with his birthday fast approaching, Jadyn’s family got creative.
A ‘Drive by Birthday Party’ was organized for the early evening of Tuesday, April 20th, starting at the Westwood Church parking lot in Prince George. The wheeled birthday convoy of roughly 20 vehicles flowed through some residential areas, looping back to the front of Jadyn’s home a couple times, where he was watching everyone honk their horns and wave to him.
“Jadyn was really overwhelmed by all of it, but the highlight was definitely the bus.” said Barton. “This event gave him hope that there’s still a chance of normalcy in this isolated world of his, where he could only see us through a window. I’d like to give thanks to everyone involved who helped him see the light again to hold onto.”
According to Tracy, Jadyn has been riding buses since he was really little, and it became a hobby for him, even choosing transit over a trip to the swimming pool or other activities. Every time he got on the bus with his mom, Jadyn would demand that they stop and let him ask the bus driver’s name so he could enter it into his communicator. That way he would know everyone that drives ‘his’ buses.
Knowing how special it would be for Jadyn to have a BC Transit bus join the festivities, Tracy Barton stopped in at the PWT Transit Centre to make a special request. It was one that Transit Supervisor Chris Holbrook couldn’t pass up.
“When our Operations Manager read Tracy’s letter to me, I got goosebumps and started to get choked up,” said the PWT Transit Supervisor. “That night is my regular shift, but I knew right away that I would be driving that bus.”
Knowing Jadyn’s compromised health, Chris made sure the bus received a special cleaning prior to the big night. And then once the drive-by was done, the bus circled back and the doors of the bus opened up to Jadyn so he could ride in style in his very own birthday bus. After a ride around town on a beautiful night, the bus stopped at the CN Center parking lot, where Jadyn’s family was waiting with big smiles and waves.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to put a big smile on the face of someone who really needed it,” said Holbrook. “By the end of the night he was so excited and emotionally drained, he was vibrating. He didn’t want to get off the bus.”
A birthday is what you make it, and for Jadyn Douse, this particular birthday was likely the most memorable he could ever ask for.
