GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — 8-year-old Steve has been having a tough time walking while he waits for a new prosthetic leg, making it difficult for him to get in and out of his house.
Luckily, SpartanNash, a local grocery store chain, stepped in to help. The company came across Steve's GoFundMe page and was "so intrigued by the story and the need."
To assist Steve, SpartanNash is building him a brand-new ramp, and the material they're using might surprise you.
"We invite the community to come out and recycle their plastic bags in our stores. And then we take those plastic bags and we work with Trex to turn those into deck boards," explained Lauren DeVol, the Director of Communications at SpartanNash.
Steve's mother, Alexys Taylor, expressed her gratitude for the new ramp, saying, "We are so thankful because it means that he gets his mobility back."
However, the ramp is only a temporary solution. Steve's current prosthetic leg is broken, and his family needs to take a trip to Shriners in Chicago to get him a better-fitting prosthesis. Unfortunately, Steve's Medicaid in Michigan will only pay for a new prosthesis once every five years, and the process requires a 5-day stay in Chicago.
"We do have a GoFundMe for Steve for his mobility," Alexys Taylor shared.
Despite the challenges, Steve remains upbeat. After the ramp is completed, he said, "We're gonna go to the park after y'all done." And he even joked about keeping the microphone he was interviewed with.
Steve and his family will be heading to Chicago soon to get fitted for a new prosthetic leg, but they need additional funding to make the trip. Here's the link to Steve's GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/d11a39ae
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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