When Minh Nguyen and Mina Pham discovered that their son’s wagon had been stolen from their East Lansing apartment, it meant more than the loss of a plaything. For the small family trying to make ends meet on Nguyen’s post-doctoral student salary from Michigan State University, it was a lifeline.
“We don’t have a car because as a postdoc, the salary is low,” Nguyen said in a video interview with ELi. “My wife is not allowed to work and that’s why the bike and the trailer are the main transportation. We bring our son to the daycare and then home three days a week.”
The wagon attached to Pham’s bicycle, allowing her to run errands and transport Leomin, their 23-month-old son. When it was taken, it was still attached to the bike which was chained in the hallway of their Capital Villa apartment…