Woman in Wheelchair Adopts Boy & Gives Him an Amazing Life, He Helps Her Walk Again in Return – Story of the Day

When an accident kills her unborn baby and renders her disabled, Carol adopts Charlie, an orphaned little boy. She loves him to the core, and he restores her joy on her 40th birthday with a surprise she never imagined.

Carol's heart began to race. It felt heavier as she slowly pushed her wheelchair toward a spot near the bridge that reminded her of a dark day that she couldn't easily forget. It was there that a four-months-pregnant Carol was hit by a car five years ago.

She lost her ability to walk, but nothing hit her like a ton of bricks when the doctors told her she had lost her baby and could never become a mother again. That road accident destroyed Carol and her husband Jeremy's world forever.

Carol silently wept as she clasped the bouquet of garden-picked roses. The thorns pierced her palms, and the pain drove her to reality. She had gone to the bridge to commemorate her unborn baby's fifth death anniversary. Her favorite spot became a grave and a concrete reminder of her dear child's loss.

"Darling, shall we go? I think it's time to go see the boy," she heard Jeremy call out. Carol placed the bouquet of roses on the parapet and left to see Charlie, a little orphan they were going to adopt...

"He's there," a caretaker pointed at little Charlie playing with his friends. Carol had visited him quite often in the six months she and Jeremy shuttled between legal formalities and paperwork for the adoption. And each time she saw Charlie, she felt a weird sense of joy fill her heart. It comforted her and told her he was the one.

That day, Carol was the happiest mother on earth. She hugged little Charlie a dozen times, but it was not enough. They took him home and showed him his room, which looked like a piece of heaven fallen on earth. It had toys, posters of superheroes, a Superman-printed blanket, and everything a five-year-old would love.

Charlie loved superheroes, and Superman was his favorite. He asked Carol the last time she visited: "Will my room have Superman stickers? And toys? And...and...posters?"

When God takes something away from us, He always replaces it with the best.

Jeremy and Carol made the best bedroom for their son. To them, he was not their adopted child but a joy that had arrived from heaven to fill the emptiness in their lives.

Carol slowly overcame her grief and could not get enough of adoring Charlie. They sang, danced, watched movies, and painted, and always had plenty of reasons to laugh out loud. Years passed, and while everything was blissful, Charlie, who was then ten, started worrying about his mother.

"Will mama never walk again?" he wondered and sometimes cried to sleep. "I want her to run and walk like the others. But will it happen? I've seen people use artificial legs, but how do I get them?"

Charlie realized that letting his mom sit in the wheelchair would not take her far. One day, he gave her a football and asked her to play with him. Charlie wanted to help Carol feel light and know she could still live a normal life even without one leg.

"A football?" Carol exclaimed. She saw the excitement in her son's eyes and did not want to ruin it. "Let's play!" she said as Charlie kicked the ball slowly to her. She kicked back the ball with her right leg while still seated in the wheelchair, laughing like a crazy kid. It brought tears of joy to Jeremy and Charlie's eyes to see her so happy.

Seven years later...

"Dad, which is mom's favorite hangout spot? Does she like the park?" Charlie asked Jeremy.

"Not the park exactly, but your mom loves to watch the sunset from the bridge. She loves the view...It's beautiful."

That evening, Charlie took Carol to the spot, knowing little he had taken her to the bridge where she lost her baby and her ability to walk. But that day, something unusual happened. Carol did not cry over her past, and her heart didn't feel heavy again. She didn't know why.

Charlie and Carol watched the beautiful view of the sunset from the bridge. He pushed her wheelchair forward, talking about what he would do when he went to college. Charlie wanted to become a prosthetist. He was determined to serve specially-abled people like his mother and wanted to make a change.

"Change starts at home!" he believed. Charlie was determined to help his mom stand on her feet again so she could independently walk.

A few years later, he graduated with a degree in prosthetics and orthotics and started working in a local hospital. Every day, at the end of his shift, he would devote time to designing a special prosthetic leg for his mom. He waited until her 40th birthday, which was arriving in a week, to reveal the surprise. Carol had no idea her life was about to change in a few days.

After an impatient wait, Carol's birthday arrived, and Charlie put his plan into action.

"Darling, where are you taking me?" Carol was puzzled when he helped her get ready and gently put her in the wheelchair. She was also quite upset because she thought he had forgotten it was her birthday.

"Mom, you'll know in a while. Trust me. You'll love it!" he said, pushing her wheelchair to their car.

Carol was confused and happy at the same time. She knew he was about to surprise her with a birthday gift but didn't know what it was.

Charlie took his mother to the hospital's main reception area. It was decorated with balloons and streamers. A delicious birthday cake crowned the center table. "Mom, wait here...I'll be right back," he told her and disappeared.

"What's going on? I don't understand...." Carol wondered then someone suddenly popped a party popper from behind. It rained confetti on her, and she saw Charlie emerge from the crowd with a large gift box in his hand.

"Happy birthday, mama!" he said, taking out the prosthetic leg he'd crafted. Carol burst into tears and hugged her son as the hall echoed with a sweet happy birthday song.

For the next few weeks, Charlie trained Carol to use the prosthetic.

"Mama, you can do it. Just forget you used a wheelchair...Stretch your hands sideways and take your first step. You can do this...walk toward me...come this way."

Carol took her first step with her prosthetics and was thrilled to see her feet move against the pavement.

After his shift, Charlie would often take his mom for a walk to her favorite spot near the bridge to watch the sunset.

"You are caring for me like I'm your child!" she told him.

"Mom, you are my first daughter! You are like my child! Even if I bring down the heavens for you, it will not measure up to all the love and comfort you gave me."

Carol and Charlie hugged and stood near the spot where she used to leave flowers to commemorate her baby's death anniversary. She no longer left flowers there. Carol realized her baby wasn't gone. He was standing next to her, holding her hand, and his name was Charlie.

What can we learn from this story?

• Be grateful to those who love you and care about you. Carol adopted an orphaned Charlie and made his life better. Years later, he reciprocated his mother's love and helped her walk again by gifting her a prosthetic leg.
• When God takes something away from us, He always replaces it with the best. Carol was devastated after losing her baby and her ability to walk. Her happiness was restored after her adopted son, Charlie, came into her life.

A little boy returns to his burnt house to retrieve a gift he had crafted for his mom's birthday. This special present motivates his mother to recover from her coma. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.