Foundation Gives Boy Born Without Legs $9,000 State-Of-The-Art Wheelchair

KOREATOWN (CBSLA.com) — A young boy with an outdated wheelchair has new freedom thanks to a new state-of-the-art wheelchair donated to him by the Darrell Gwynn Foundation.

As KCAL9's Kristine Lazar reports, Anthony Sanchez, who was born without legs, went to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles three years ago.

When he arrived, Lazar says, he was in a stroller as his father and grandmother were unable to afford a wheelchair.

His doctor immediately knew that had to change.

"He's not able to be independent. You can't push yourself when you're in a stroller, plus you look like a baby when you're not," said Sanchez's doctor, Phoebe Scott-Wyard of Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Sanchez eventually transitioned into a used wheelchair, which his doctors said was unsafe.

"It was pretty dirty. The brakes didn't usually work as well," Sanchez said.

The hospital set out to find a new, fully functional wheelchair because his insurance wouldn't cover one.

"This is what we do. This is our mission. And our mission here at Shriners is to give these kids a second chance at a normal life," Aaron Hanson of Shriners Hospitals for Children said.

On Monday, Sanchez was presented with a brand new, top-of-the-line wheelchair decked out in Dodger blue in honor of the fourth grader's favorite team.

"Some people are not really into baseball as some are into football, soccer, anything. But I'm really into baseball," he said.

The $9,000 wheelchair was a gift from the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, named after the National Hot Rod Association champion.

"It grows with him," Angel Pardo of the foundation said. "As he grows, the chair can be changed and modified so that the family doesn't have to go out and buy a new chair. It'll last him for a long, long time."

For more information about the foundation, click here.