Diagnosed with MS 16 years ago, Mike Kennedy starts small business selling bottled water from his scooter

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A 51-year-old Moncton man stricken with multiple sclerosis has put his abilities ahead of his disability by starting his own business of selling bottled water on the streets of Metro Moncton.

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Greg Agnew/Times & Transcript

Mike Kennedy has started a small business called Water on Wheels.

"The words 'give up' aren't in my vocabulary," says Mike Kennedy, who was diagnosed with MS in 1992. The disease progressed to the point where he was unable to work and had to go on disability. He had worked in the order office of a local oil company for many years.

Today, Kennedy is able to stand and walk, but has problems with his balance and co-ordination. He lives in a government-subsidized housing unit on Burlington Street near Downtown Moncton and lives on a fixed income. He is known for helping others and is often seen downtown and relies on a motorized scooter to get around.

"I have a comfortable life, but I wanted to do something, so I came up with the idea of selling bottled water. It was the only thing I could think of. And I'm amazed at myself, a physically disabled person being able to do this. I want to show that the disabled can be able."

Kennedy calls his company Water on Wheels, and it is about as small as a small business can get.

"My brother Johnny built the boxes for me and put them on my scooter and they work just great."

The wooden boxes are painted bright white and blue and prominently show the disabled symbol of a person in a wheelchair. The boxes are lined with foam insulation and Kennedy uses ice packs to keep the bottled water cold.

He buys his water bottles in large packages from a major retailer and then sells them for $1.50 each, which is about the same as what you would pay at a vending machine or another retailer. The markup isn't very much, but Kennedy says he makes enough money to keep the little business going.

He says a vendor's permit isn't necessary because it is a pre-packaged product. His scooter is even equipped with some sleighbells he can ring like the old-time ice cream truck.

Kennedy says he is doing it all on his own, with the exception of his brother's help in building the boxes and the Nubody's fitness centre downtown which gave him permission to sell water outside the door.

He feels there should be more types of government assistance for people who are classified as disabled but still able to carry out some functions and keep themselves active in the community.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms are may include blurred vision, extreme fatigue, loss of balance and co-ordination, stiffness of muscles, speech problems and even partial or complete paralysis. It is estimated that up to 75,000 Canadians have multiple sclerosis.