CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Clearwater boy with special needs finally gets to enjoy the outdoors after years of being bound to his bedroom.
Volunteers came together Wednesday to help build Sean Findley a ramp for his wheelchair.
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“It’s wonderful, and exciting. We’re so happy,” said Marci Findley, Sean’s grandmother.
Sean has Alexander’s disease, a rare neurological condition that causes developmental disabilities. And for the last three years, Sean has been bound to his bed, only enjoying the sunshine through his window.
Because of his condition, firefighters with the Clearwater Fire Department routinely respond to calls at Sean’s home. It was through those calls Sean developed a lifelong friendship with Fire Medic Jerome Mourelatos.
“Instantly he got to me. Mostly because I realized how a lot of the things we take for granted, he’s not able to enjoy,” said Mourelatos.
As Sean got older, moving him outside the home became too difficult for his grandmother to do.
“We would take two or three people to get him down the stairs to keep it safe so that he wouldn’t get hurt,” said Marci.
So, Jerome had the idea of building Sean a ramp.
Firefighters with the Clearwater Fire Department volunteered time, Lowes donated supplies and Arc Design drew up the blueprints. It was all for Sean to be able to easily get outside his home with in his wheelchair.
“There just isn’t words to express, I mean, how can you ever? Here’s this child, he had no life, and they’re making it possible for him to get out in the sunshine,” said Marci.
