Brad Soden has experienced a lot in his life.
The former United States soldier not only served in the
first Iraq war, but alsosaved many lives as a fireman after he completed his
service.
Brad, his wife, Liz, and their three children, live in
Phoenix, Arizona.
And for a long time, Brad lived the dream. But
everything changed on August 15, 1999 — the day when the accident occurred.
Brad and Liz were with their kids in their truck. Liz
was driving when the left front tire blew out. She lost control of the car and
drove off the road.
Luckily, the couple's three boys walked away with minor
bruises. Brad's injuries were a bit worse — he broke his leg. But for Liz, the
situation was tragic: she broke her back and became paralyzed from the waist
down.
Liz was rushed to the hospital for surgery, and when she
woke up, her doctors gave her her diagnosis.
Liz thought her life was over. She thought Brad, who was
her boyfriend at the time, would leave her for a "normal woman."
Brad's response? He got down on his knee and proposed
right there at the hospital.
Of course, Liz said "yes" and the couple was
soon married.
Liz's road to recovery was long and her entire family
supported her in her process.
Liz is a strong woman, but the transition to her new
life in a wheelchair was extremely difficult. Especially, since one of the
family's favorite hobbies had been hiking.
After the accident, Liz tried to follow along, but she
quickly realized that her wheelchair would never be able to traverse the uneven
terrain she loved to hike.
On one occasion when the family was out following a
moose trail, Liz was forced to stay behind on the flat road.
With tears in her eyes, she asked her family to keep
going. That image broke Brad's heart, and he decided he wouldn't let it happen
ever again.
During his time in the army, Brad worked as maintenance
technician who was responsible for maintaining and cleaning tanks.
His job inspired him to build a special wheelchair for
Liz: an off-road-capable wheelchair that would allow Liz to join the rest of the
family wherever they went.
But it was easier said than done.
Brad spent days on end in the garage. Some days, he
barely went outside at all, and sometimes he lost his patience.
The loud noise coming from the garage was something that
the neighbors and Liz got used to.
Brad's challenge? To build a silent electric engine that
could work in the wilderness and at campsites.
After countless hours, Brad had finally found the
solution. He called Liz to the garage and surprised her with a unique
wheelchair complete with tank treads!
Brad's invention didn't go unnoticed. The all-terrain
wheelchair impressed, among other people, the heads of the high-tech company
NPC Robotics.
The company supported Brad and built a prototype based
on his model. With modern technology, Liz's new wheelchair is quiet, fast, and
made for off-road driving.
Nowadays, Brad and the kids have trouble keeping up with
Liz when the family goes for a hike...
What a great invention! Brad hasn't just shown his
enormous love to Liz, he's also showed that he has the ingenuity and will to
overcome anything!
What a great example of how to help your
loved ones! When someone in your family falls, help them get back up!
Please share this fine story, because you
couldn't wish for a better husband and dad than Brad!
This post was republished
from en.newsner.com You can find the original post here.