Photo By Master Sgt. Jette Carr | Stetson Bardfield is surprised as he is presented with his own Action Track Chair Oct....... read more read more
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Semper Fi Fund and the Fisher House Foundation presented a military child with a special donation after the Warrior Games sitting volleyball competition Oct. 2.
Stetson, the 13-year-old son of Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Shai Bardfield, was told he would be helping with the game’s award presentation ceremony. In reality, the organizations were planning a surprise for him instead.
Stetson rolled up to the award podium in the Action Track Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair that he had enjoyed borrowing throughout the week. Instead of helping award the athletes with medals, he was instantly surrounded by his family and Karen Guenther, a representative of the Semper Fi Fund, who told him the chair he was riding in was now his. A look of shock and joy crossed his face as he stared at Gunther for reassurance that this was indeed real.
“What?” he mouthed. “Wow.”
It was a gift that would increase Stetson’s mobility and overall quality of life and help him to overcome limitations set by a joint disorder that resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. It was a gift put together after JJ Weeks, a 2014 Warrior Games sponsor representative, met the boy who was volunteering with his family at the competition. Stetson greeted the athletes and their families as they arrived for the games, and continued to help the service members throughout their time here.
“So we are here supporting the (wounded) warriors and we noticed this young man who comes supporting; his dad’s in the Army, but he’s rooting for the Marines,” Weeks said. “He’s kind of walking around, doing his own thing, an incredible young man with an indomitable spirit.
“The track vehicle comes past one afternoon and he looks at it like a boy would look at a brand new toy. I said to him, ‘Do you want to ride?’ So we arranged for the guys to put him in and he loved it.”
When Weeks and Guenther got together to discuss doing something for Stetson in reward for his volunteer spirit and the idea of gifting him with the Action Track Chair came into fruition.
“This took an amazing community,” Guenther said. “We found out that Stetson loved that chair. … They are a military family and because of donors across our great nation, we were able to write a check for the Action Track Chair. When I explained to the Fisher House (Foundation) what we were doing, without hesitation, they said, let’s split the cost with you.”
The surprise was hard to keep secret and those who planned it out were worried someone would slip and Stetson would find out, Guenther said. However, her apprehension turned out to be unnecessary as Stetson was shocked when he was presented with the chair. For one Army child, his day was made perfect.
“It’s amazing!” Stetson said grinning from ear to ear. “I didn’t think I was going to get this for several more years. Now I get to go outdoors and do more stuff than I thought I’d ever be able to do.”
After the announcement was made that Stetson would be receiving the chair, service members surrounded the boy and congratulated him.
Stetson said during his time volunteering with the wounded warriors they felt like brothers to him.
“All of them are so nice to me. I love for volunteering for everyone here,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2014 17:17 |
| Story ID: | 144305 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 836 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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