If you need a reminder that there is kindness in the world, some Marblehead High School students offered an inspiring example this week.
The MHS track team often sees 38-year-old Nikolay Kuzmina, who is neurodiverse, riding his large tricycle around the school’s parking lot in the afternoons. It’s a daily ritual Kuzmina treasures, but recently his trike hit a pothole and its axle snapped.
Members of the track team noticed that Kuzmina had started walking around the parking lot, instead of riding. That’s when Coach Nolan Raimo got an idea.
“I thought, ‘We’re going to figure out a way to fix this.’ So I told the kids, instead of buying a coach’s gift this year, let’s raise money to buy Niko a new bike. Senior Elise Burchfield took the initiative to start a GoFundMe.” They raised more than $1200 and presented Kuzmina with his new bike last Thursday.
“Oh my God,” Kuzmina exclaimed when he was presented with the blue trike. “It’s so big!”
COURTESY PHOTOS / SEAMUS CROWLEY
Later, Kuzmina spoke with the Current. “I’m really overwhelmed. I really like my bike so much. It’s good exercise and I get a lot of fresh air.”
Raimo described Kuzmina’s reaction. “He melted. His jaw dropped. The first thing he thought about was thanking everyone. It was absolutely heartwarming.”
WBZ-TV came out Friday to interview Kuzmina.
“It felt awesome,” he said. “I felt like a rockstar.”
Raimo has known Kuzmina since they were both students at MHS.
“I’ve had a really good relationship with Niko. He’s always riding his tricycle around and we talk. Over the last five or six years, we’ve become really close. He’s such a kind person.”
Kuzmina’s mother, Yelena, was moved to tears when her son came home with the new bike.
“When I saw it, I cried,” she told the Current. “I cried not about my son, but about the kindness… the kindness of this coach.”
Burchfield was there when Raimo presented the new bike to Kuzmina.
“The whole track team came out to see,” Burchfield said. “He came running over. It was really really sweet.”
Something special has happened since Kuzmina got his new trike.
“More people are starting to talk to Niko when they see him now, so many people know him from his tricycle. He’s one of the most social people you’ll meet,” and he loves talking to people, Raimo said.
The coach encourages other folks to strike up a conversation with Kuzmina when they see him riding.
“Engage with him, talk with him. Keep the good vibes going.”
Raimo added, “I feel like our town is so polarized now we often forget that besides arguing about tax rates and things of that nature, we’re all just people and can enjoy talking to each other and connecting with each other.”
