TAMPA, Fla. — Samantha Vacha is just like any other nine-year-old, the only difference is one of her legs is state-of-the-art thanks to Steve Chamberland and his charity, 50 Legs.
Samantha received her first prosthetic when she was just a baby after her foot had to be amputated due to a birth defect. Her father remembers meeting Chamberland for the first time.
“And he’s like, ‘don’t you worry, I’m going to get your kid a leg,’ he’s this big biker guy, ‘I’m like ok, alright guy, sure,’” said Vacha.
It turns out this big bad former wrestler, is a big softie at heart.
“Buddy, it’s the best feeling in the world just from watching when she was 10-months old just crawling on her first legs,” said Chamberland.
Chamberland started the nonprofit after losing his own leg in a motorcycle accident in 1999. So far he’s helped more than 600 people regain their mobility and the majority of them are children.
“From Boston bomber survivors to shark attacks, I mean hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of different stories, nobody’s case is the same,” said Chamberland.
Now it’s Samantha’s turn to help her hero. It just so happens she and her dad are family friends with Bret Michaels, lead singer for the 80's rock band Poison.
On Saturday, February 26, he will be performing a charity event at Ruth Eckerd Hall, with all money raised going back to 50 Legs.
“If you know Bret, everything is done at 125%. So he reached out and said he was excited to be part of this project for 50 legs and he wanted to know if we could assist and have Ruth Eckerd Hall available for a Rockin' Saturday night,” said Bobby Rossi, Director of Entertainment.
Chamberland is hoping they can fill every seat in the auditorium, keep in mind the average leg costs $5,000.
“Don’t forget it’s not like I buy them one leg and they’re done, like kids have to go every six months, every year, because obviously they grow,” said Chamberland.
There are still plenty of seats available. For more information, go to rutheckerdhall.com or 50legs.org.
