Brighten Your Day

8-Year-Old Raises Money To Buy His Best Friend A New Wheelchair

July 27, 2017

Paul met Kamden in kindergarten and the two boys quickly became best friends.

While others often focus on Kamden's wheelchair and disability, Paul never acted like Kamden was different.

Paul and Kamden / GoFundMe

Kamden, 8, who lives in Poway, California, was born with a tumor on his T2 and T3 vertebras. While he has had three surgeries to de-bulk the tumor, Kamden is paraplegic and relies on a wheelchair to get around.

But Kamden's current wheelchair is so big and heavy he has trouble pushing it. It's also tipped forward multiple times.

Medical, the state's Medicare, only pays for a wheelchair once every five years, and the Houshans can't afford another chair.

After the boys finished second grade this year, Paul told his mom he wanted to help Kamden get a new wheelchair.

He had recently watched a video about fundraising websites and he thought if he started a campaign for Kamden he could raise enough money to get him a customized wheelchair.

Paul wrote on GoFundMe:

"Hi my name is Paul. Here is a picture of me and my best friend Kamden. We have been friends since kindergarten and we love to play superheroes during recess. We love to go to McDonald's to eat Happy Meals and play at the park. My friend Kamden was born with something on his spine and he can't walk. He has been in a wheelchair since before I met him. I asked my mom if I can go on Go Fund Me to help Kamden get a new wheelchair. His wheelchair has fallen forward many times and that sucks. Also, he has a really hard time pushing it because its so heavy. But do you even know what's worse than that? His wheelchair is too big for him to fit in his bathroom. He can't even fit through the door and use the toilet without asking for help. If he gets a new wheelchair he's going to be more comfortable and he'll do more things on his own. I think he would go super fast if he got this new chair and we can play more. Please help Kamden."

In two weeks, the campaign exceeded its goal of $3,900 and raised $6,000, which covers the cost of a new customized wheelchair.