It's Christmas time when offerings of goodwill are a seasonal requirement, and taking the lead role today was Continental. The airline donated a motorized wheelchair to Rodney Borland, a young man who is no stranger to the news. You may recall that Rodney was shot in the back two years ago in Punta Gorda town as he tended his family's store. While his story has simply been added to the collective memory of all those lawless deeds that we try to forget, today those memories were made fresh and hopeful as we found Rodney getting on with life, undeterred by tremendous adversity.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
In October of 2002 13 year old Rodney Borland had to be flown out of Punta Gorda town via helicopter after he was shot in the back by robbers as he watched the family's store. It was a tragic and unfortunate event that got a fair amount of coverage in the press. But since that time, the fate and woes of Rodney simply faded from the headlines and into memory. That is until today. After struggling for 2 years to recuperate from his injury, the young man, now 15, made his way to Continental offices to pick up a motorized wheelchair that he is in need of. In need of it because he cannot walk after he was shot. More than that he has difficulty talking and is in need of a voice synthesizer to do so. He explains that it has been a long a difficult road to recovery.
Rodney Borland,
"Well first I was really sick and I didn't think I would be like this. I've improved a lot. I'm very stable but at the moment I don't know if there will be any more improvements in my throat but that's not going to be right now."
Elizabeth Borland, Mother
"It has been very frustrating at times. Many times we encounter some problems that we didn't know what to do or where to turn to and we would just have patience and pray a lot and answers would come somehow from somewhere. We have seen God working in our lives very very much."
And today God's work came in the form of this motorized wheelchair that Continental, with the help of charitable organization from the U.S., Wheels for Humanity donated to the young man.
Indira Lopez, Continental Airlines
"Rodney's family approached us and told us that Rodney would really need a electrical wheel chair so we went back to our partner company in California and here we have this wheelchair made especially for Rodney."
Rodney Borland,
"Sometimes I'll want to go somewhere and I can't get out by myself so I will be able to go out now. I've been hoping to get one for a long time but I couldn't find one so I really thank them."
Elizabeth Borland,
"We felt good because since he came back from the states he can do a lot of things for himself and we finally got him into the high school. The traveling was the hardest part. His dad took him sometimes in the van and when his dad was not at home we had to get taxi to take him to the high school and to bring him back. So with this electrical wheelchair we see a better future for him and for ourselves. And he will become more independent. All of us are so happy today because he will be able to go out some more and even use it to go to the high school. We monitor him very very closely very he goes and whatever friends he has. We get a schedule from the high school on the time he should be there and the time school should be over and we make sure that he gets there at the time and returns home."
Alfonso Noble,
He will be moving a lot faster now. Do you think you will have to monitor him a lot closer now?
Elizabeth Borland,
"Yes I think we have to monitor him more closely now. He might want to go out. But whenever he goes out we will make sure that we are with him or that he is accompanied by an adult or somebody responsible."
Today's donation is valued at $7,000 and is the second motorized wheelchair that continental has given since it started the program 3 years ago.