LUTZ, Fla. – It is a very special day for a Tampa Bay veteran as he received a brand-new wheelchair on Wednesday morning courtesy of Freedom Alliance.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Jerry Wayne Padgett II now has a new all-terrain wheelchair.
The backstory:
He enlisted in the Navy in 2001, deploying five times and contributing as a command community relations photographer and rescue swimmer.
In 2006, while he was on patrol in Afghanistan, he was seriously injured by an explosive device with a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, audio and visual impairments.Â
Jerry has overcome so much. He tries to stay active with his son and volunteers quite a bit. This brand-new wheelchair will help him continue to enjoy the things he loves to do.
With the organization Freedom Alliance, they have awarded more than $30 million in college scholarships to children of heroes killed or disabled in military service. They have spent millions more helping injured veterans and their families.
For more information on Freedom Alliance, click here.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Heather Healy.