He’s turning tragedy into triumph!
A Missouri man received a $1 million donation for a nonprofit he founded after being shot and paralyzed, Black Enterprise reports. Wesley Hamilton was shot twice in the abdomen and paralyzed in 2010. The spinal cord injury altered his life dramatically and he became severely depressed, even contemplating suicide at one point. It was his daughter Nevaeh that kept him going and remaining hopeful.
He eventually decided to start a non-profit, Disabled But Not Really (DBNR), an organization focused on “providing equal access to the underserved disabled community through fitness, wellness, and mental health.” Members of DBNR say Hamilton’s commitment and dedication to the organization and the fitness classes he offers are like no other.
“The energy that he brings to the class is unmatched. It’s actually a place where I feel like I belong,” said Trey Matthews, an athlete at DBNR.
The Kansas City native was recently surprised on Good Morning America (GMA) with a whopping $1 million donation, courtesy of the Craig H. Nielsen Foundation, a non-profit centered around changing the world for people living with spinal cord injuries.
Wesley Hamilton works to inspire and serve people with paraplegia with his nonprofit. This morning, @tjholmes surprised him with a ONE MILLION DOLLAR donation from @neilsenfndn! #TellTJ https://t.co/i9rZzYvW4s pic.twitter.com/Y2EU3gOAhw
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 20, 2021
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“Thank you, everybody, for this and believing and watching the journey… It’s always been about the people we’ve been serving. I’m grateful…This doesn’t seem real. If you know my story, you know where I come from; it doesn’t seem real, but it gives my people hope, and that’s all I wanted,” Hamilton said after receiving the donation.
His plan is to expand, using the donation to fund the new mobile gym project he just launched with DBNR, taking it across the country. Hamilton’s daughter said she’s so proud of her father and the work he’s doing.
“My dad’s a superhero to me because he helped me out. He motivates me. My dad is literally the most amazing person I know,” Nevaeh said.
Hamilton hopes to continue being an inspiration and motivating everyone to keep going after their dreams no matter what life throws at them.
“The man who tried to take my life gave me life. I’m living my purpose, and everybody is seeing it. Follow your dreams despite the circumstances that happen to you,” he said.
Congratulations Wesley!
Photo Courtesy of Wesley Hamilton/Black Enterprise