It's here!

The day finally arrived Sept. 12. Tate and I took Brett to Shriner's Hospital where he received his power wheelchair. What an amazing day! Brett was so excited. I wish all of you could have been there to experience such pure joy.
Before I go on to tell you more about the experience of getting the chair, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you and how inadequate that seems. If you are reading this that means you supported the effort to get this chair through prayer, your financial support or your gift of talent and time to raise money to make it a reality. Tate and I have been truly humbled by the outpouring of care and generosity. You have given Brett an opportunity to be independent in a way he cannot otherwise experience. When he got home in his chair yesterday I called him to the dinner table ... and he came. Brett has always had to be brought into the room, carried or pushed in a chair but yesterday he entered the room by choice, on his own, and my heat was overwhelmed with gratitude to God and so many people.
You haven't just given Brett a gift, it will be a benefit to so many others in so many ways. Accepting help and asking for money has been one of the hardest things we have ever done, but knowing that Brett's chair was given by the body of Christ will always make it that much more special. Thank you.


So, it took two hours for the fitting - making sure all the belts and straps were properly adjusted, making sure the driving controls were in the right position for him to access. With the exception of about 5 minutes of fussing Brett just sat in that chair watching Ron (aka the wheelchair guy) using wrenches and screwdrivers and drills to move and maneuver bits and pieces.
The best part was that the driving controls were, for the most part, out of Brett's sight for the first part of the fitting. But the second Ron put them down and Brett saw the console light up - so did his face and he kept reaching for the joystick - he had such ants in his pants to get the chair moving!
We took the chair for a test spin. Brett trialed this chair once a month over about six months ending in December 2011 before we decided it was a good fit. He hasn't been in a power chair in 9 months as we waited for paperwork and insurance and the chair to arrive. He drove the chair better during the fitting that he had in all the trials combined! Here's Brett driving on the front lawn just after getting it home.

When we got home his brothers Jackson and Peyton hid in the kitchen so Brett could drive into the house and show it off. He was so excited and proud and the boys were so impressed.
Here they are discovering some of the bells and whistles (actually there is a horn on the chair!):

Having one of our 4 year olds as a driver is both exciting and frightening! We ask for continued prayers  as Brett learns to drive the chair and for our patience as we help him and for the safety of all those in his path! Please check back to the blog as we hope to update it from time to time.

With hearts overflowing with gratitude ... Brett and the Paige family