William Thomas was a specialist in the US Army. He was deployed in 2011 to Afghanistan as a combat engineer. Eight months later, his envoy was hit by a road-side bomb which shattered his leg into multiple pieces and resulted in amputation of his right leg. Thomas uses a wheelchair almost all day, everyday. Recently, his wheelchair started falling apart. The front right caster broke and Thomas had been falling out of his chair, adding to the strain on daily life for he and his wife. He felt helpless. He contacted his healthcare provider (VA) and was told it would be five to six years before he could receive a new wheelchair. 

 

When Thomas heard about Wheelchairs for Warriors, he reached out to us and we were able to customize a wheelchair for him to fit his specific needs. When asked what colors he wanted for his new wheelchair, he said, “Astros colors! Orange and Blue.” Thomas is a HUGE Astros fan. So, Wheelchairs for Warriors Executive Director, Crystal Laramore, reached out to Insperity and they teamed up with the Astros to present Thomas his new chair at an Astros game. 

 

As an added bonus and complete surprise for Thomas, former Astros pitcher and Insperity brand ambassador, Roger Clemens, was the one who presented Thomas with his new wheelchair. It turns out, Roger Clemens was the first baseball card Thomas ever collected, so when Clemens also gave Thomas a signed jersey – Thomas was over the moon!

 

“Our mission is to stand in the gap between the underfunded provisions for veterans and first responders and help our warriors Roll Strong, says Laramore, “It is our duty and our honor to let our warriors know, deep in their bone marrow, that ‘no man left behind' is not just a mantra for the battlefield, but also for the HOME field!”