Man who raised $28,000 for his chance to walk again sacrifices his dream to change 5-year-old boy's life
Kindness can be rendered when you have everything to give. Being content and blessed with the best, one wouldn’t mind giving out of their abundance. However, things are trickier and more challenging when there’s not much to offer. To help, share and give when it’s all you have, can be poking and tough, but never impossible. And that’s where the true idea of generosity and kindness lies. A man named Daniel Black did just that and his gesture has not only transformed the life of a young boy but also the hearts of millions of people. Black, who was tragically paralyzed and trying to raise money for his surgery, did something brave and heart-touching for then-5-year-old Brecon Vaughan, per Brian May.
In 2009, Black was going to work as usual on his bike when a car hit him. The accident had severe consequences on him that left him devastated. After being in an induced coma for 6 weeks, the man woke up to find that his severe spinal cord injury left him paralyzed in three limbs. Everything seemed to crash for Black, but above all, his dream of joining the British army, which he was 3 days shy of, came shattering down when the doctors told him he’d never walk again. Despite the gut-wrenching news, Black kept his spirits high and began raising money for a cell treatment that had a chance of working out. The man in his early 20s at the time, raised around $33,000 for a treatment that was still in its initial phase, to be made available only 5 years later, per Change.org.
The plan seemed to be set until he heard about Vaughan. The toddler was suffering from a condition called spastic diplegia cerebral palsy since birth. The boy’s family, too, was on a mission to raise $100,000 for their son’s surgery to get him to walk. Brecon, who never knew what walking was like, hoped to be able to walk and run with his friends, per Wales Online. “My mum showed me the article because he lives near us,” Black recalled. He immediately donated to the good cause but felt the need to do more. “When I stopped to think some more about it, I realized I could give him the money I’d raised for myself as well. His treatment had a better chance of success. I wanted to help someone whose life could get better,” the man said.
So, Black donated the money he had raised, for his own surgery to Brecon. With the money they had already collected and with Black’s wholesome donation, the boy was able to finally receive his life-changing surgery. “Dan’s amazing. He’s given Brecon a chance to be a child. Before he wasn’t – he had to sit back, missing out. Dan’s great big gesture has allowed him to enjoy life so much more and we can’t thank him enough,” Vaughan's mother Ann remarked. Black received the “Pride of Britain” Award for stepping up as an unusual benefactor, and displaying his selfless kindness which is a beaming example to many. “To me, it wasn’t a big thing to give the money to him. If more people did that sort of thing, the world would be a much nicer place,” he exclaimed.
