"I didn’t take my daughter’s first steps with her. I took my first rides with her."

Johan Segers (38) was twelve when he found out he had Marfan syndrome – a genetic connective tissue disorder that affects the organs, blood vessels, and skeleton, and the same illness that had taken his mother’s life at a young age. From that moment on, he knew his life would look different from that of his peers. Still, Johan chose not to give in. He went to school, started working, and held on to the motto he was raised with: don’t complain, just keep going.

He would need that mindset. In the years that followed, Johan underwent several heart surgeries, leaving him unable to walk for longer periods of time. His body started to fail him more and more often. Yet Johan kept searching for ways to stay active – to stay independent. And he found that, in a mobility scooter.

More than just a means of transport

Throughout his life, Johan tried quite a few mobility scooters. None of them were right. They were slow, unstable, or limiting. Until he came across the Solo. “What a machine,” he says. Agile, stable, fast – and above all, reliable. The Solo brought him back outside, gave him freedom and independence. He drove it through fields, ditches and puddles. By now, he’s covered more than 100,000 kilometers.

A race against time

In 2022, it seemed Johan’s time was up. His aorta turned out to be severely damaged in several places by aneurysms – dangerous bulges in the artery wall that could rupture at any moment. The doctors told him nothing more could be done. Surgery was too risky. Johan had to prepare himself to say goodbye – to his pregnant girlfriend, his family, his friends. And to his dog, Rocky, whom he had raised from a pup and who had been his loyal companion for years.

But Johan couldn’t accept that ending. After one desperate phone call begging for a final chance, his surgeons decided to take the risk anyway. The surgery lasted 26 hours. Johan fell into a coma, suffered a stroke, and had to relearn everything: walking, talking, eating. But he survived. And on November 27, his daughter Jasmijn was born.

A new beginning

Even though his recovery was far from complete, Johan was there. Not on foot, but riding his Solo. The Solo wasn’t just a vehicle anymore – it became an extension of his life. It allowed him to go outside again, run errands, and be there for his family. "I didn’t take my daughter’s first steps with her. I took my first rides with her."

His dog Rocky, his most faithful friend for years, could join him again too. During his recovery, Johan hadn’t been able to care for him, but thanks to the Solo he regained his freedom – and with it, Rocky. Now Rocky sits with him on the scooter or walks beside him for miles, just like before.

From personal experience to inspiration

Johan knows better than anyone what it’s like to be young and dependent on a mobility scooter. He’s felt the stares, sensed the judgment. But he’s also experienced what it means to get your life back thanks to such an aid. That’s why he wants to share his story. Not just to tell what he’s been through, but to show others what’s possible.

Mobility for a new generation

Johan has one important message for young people who, like him, rely on a mobility scooter to stay mobile. “It’s not a boring old thing,” he says. “It’s a way to take back your freedom. To keep participating – in your own way.” For Johan, the Solo Black Edition is the perfect example of that: modern, powerful, and built for today. “You don’t have to sit still. You can move forward – and do it in style.”