This Father’s Day has a twis




JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SHARING THE EXPERIENCE- Stephen Trudeau and his son Devin go for a fun motorcycle ride on their Russian-made bike with sidecar.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SHARING THE EXPERIENCE- Stephen Trudeau and his son Devin go for a fun motorcycle ride on their Russian-made bike with sidecar.


His father’s motorcycle takes Devin Trudeau, 8, to places his legs never could. This Sunday Devin and his dad will spend Father’s Day like they spend most weekends- riding their Russian-made Ural motorcycle that includes a sidecar.

The second grader has trouble walking due to complications from a premature birth and requires a walker. Devin has cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus, which causes accumulation of fluid in the brain. He’s had to undergo several surgeries due to the illness.

“The beginning of his life was so traumatic,” said Stephen Trudeau, a 42yearold psychologist who works in Westlake Village. “Every chance we get we want to get out on the road and get the wind in our faces. . . .(Devin) deserves to have fun and joy just like anybody else.”

A lifelong motorcycle fan, Trudeau wanted to share his hobby with his son even though Devin can’t even ride a bicycle. Trudeau purchased the Ural in February 2006 and they’ve been riding ever since.

Trudeau loads Devin into the sidecar, straps the boy’s walker onto the back and heads for Ojai, or the Rock Store on Mulholland Drive where Devin knows all the “tough Harley bikers.” Sometimes they’ll attend a motorcycle rally or a parade. Last month the Trudeaus and their bike won second place in the Conejo Valley Days parade.

The father and son also like to visit fire stations because of Devin’s love of fire fire fighters and fire trucks. For Christmas the Trudeau family presented large tins of popcorn to all of the local fire stations.

“Devin wants to tell them how much he appreciates them,” Trudeau said.

When the ride is long Trudeau worries that Devin might be bored in the sidecar.

“He’s got no radio, no TV. But he says, ‘When I ride in the sidecar it’s like the whole world is my television.'”

Although it’s Father’s Day, Trudeau credits his wife, Mary, with being “an amazing mother.”

What amazes him most is his son’s outgoing nature.

“He’s one of those boys who has a huge spirit. He makes everyone smile,” Trudeau said. “It’s not that hard to enjoy life with a kid like Devin. He’s spectacular.”

Devin Trudeau

Devin Trudeau

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