This article was previously published on CambridgeToday.
Kris Ibbotson has fixed thousands of vacuum cleaners in his lifetime.
Diagnosed with autism at two-and-a-half years old, it was a passion that began while watching his mom Georgina clean the house when he was young.
"He was really interested in the sounds of anything going around," Georgina said.
"Watching me vacuum, that was the thing, it was continuous. He has a very strong sound sensitivity and it made him feel good."
Kris, now 32, has worked on all makes and models from different time periods since he started the hobby around the age of 16. Recently, he received a donation of a Hoover handheld vacuum from 1940.
The process of fixing one can take hours, as he fully disassembles it, cleans the parts and then puts it back together before making sure it works. He's worked on so many, he'll often problem solve using what he learned on one vacuum to fix another.
In the end, those he does repairs for say they typically work like new, Georgina said.
If the vacuums are donated, he considers selling them or keeping them for his collection in the family's crawl space, which now totals well over 100.
"I'm the vac man," Kris said.
"I like when it looks brand new when I get done. TriStar, Miracle Mate, Electrolux, FilterQueen and Kenmore's are my favourite ones."
Georgina gets emotional talking about her son's journey from childhood to where he is today.
It was initially believed that Kris was never going to speak and that news was devastating for a mother to hear.
A few years after his diagnosis, Georgina had an interesting interaction with a family member that would serve as a sign of things to come.
While sitting at the kitchen table with her mother-in-law, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and wasn't speaking much at the time, she suddenly began to tell Georgina that everything was going to be okay and that Kris would lead a happy life.
All these years later, he's doing just that by putting his skills to use.
"We're a team in a lot of ways," Georgina said.
"To be here now, I can't tell you the feeling. There's no words."
Georgina hopes her son's story provides inspiration to others and makes people realize the many talents those with special needs possess.
"These guys are awesome," she said of people with autism.
"They can be very productive. They deserve respect and sometimes we have to make changes for them to cope in our community, rather than them trying to change because that's not fair."
Anyone who would like to donate a vacuum can do so by emailing [email protected].
