Three Home Depot employees gave a two-year-old boy a gift that brought a smile to his face and joy to his family.
The workers gave Silus Johnson of North Texas, who suffers from a disease that makes walking difficult, a custom-made walker.
Silus has Norrie Disease, a condition that leaves him blind with low muscle tone, making everyday routines a challenge. Johnson’s grandfather went to a local Home Depot to pick up supplies to build Silus a walker since regular walkers are too large for the toddler. But when the employees heard of the project, they offered to complete it free of charge.
Eric Bindel, who helped with the project, jumped right in when he saw the need. “I have a 2-year-old of my own and so does Chris,” Bindel explained, mentioning tool technician Chris Wright, who also helped. “I just dove right into it and said just drop it right there, give us his dimensions and we’ll get everything going for you and build it for free.”
Bindel and his fellow employees built the walker over two days, which included off days for some involved. When the work was finished, the Johnson family was overcome with appreciation.
“We need to recognize these gentlemen who put their heart and hard work into making this for my son. They don’t even know us,” said Silus’ mom, Jessica Johnson.
When Silus first tried the walker, his delight brought smiles and tears to the employees.
“As soon as we put him in there, it was just really cool. He started feeling around on it. You could tell he was happy. He was excited,” Bindel said. “He started laughing and then started using his little feet to push himself backwards. I had a big smile. Everybody had a big smile, maybe a couple little tears here and there”
The walker was designed to be expanded as Silus grows, making it useful for years to come. The Johnson family remain grateful to the employees for the positive impact the walker has already had.
“I’ve prayed for them that God could bless their families because they’ve definitely blessed ours,” said Johnson.