Photo: GoFundMe
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — You might not know the name Terry Davis, but you’ve probably seen the viral video that gets recirculated around firework season every year in which he was the star.
Davis was lighting fireworks off with his family when his motorized wheelchair malfunctioned not allowing him to drive away while the firework he lit went off.
Terry told local ABC affiliate WATN, “When I lit it, I couldn’t move at all,” said Terry. “My chair went off on its own and I didn’t know.”
According to WREG, Davis suffered a serious spinal injury that confined him to a wheelchair 10 years ago and suffered several setbacks in trying to get a new chair.
“Oh, people don’t know what I have to deal with on a daily basis,” he said.
Two years after his viral fame, Davis’ wheelchair stopped working. Getting a new one would cost upwards of $28,000.
His family set up a GoFundMe page to raise the needed money to pay for the new chair but were given quite the surprise this week.
On Monday, two companies reached out to the Davis family and helped get Terry into a new chair.
“Oh my goodness. It meant the world. It made my heart smile. It’s nice to work for a company that’s willing to give back and do something for folks who need it and deserve it,” April Allen, with Quantum Rehab, told WREG.
Davis’ family says that the state of the art chair will help him immensely and improve his mobility, independence, and help ease the burden on his caretakers.