When Paul Burnett met Kamden Houshan in kindergarten, the two boys quickly became friends. They bonded over playing superheroes and creating goofy videos. While others often focus on Kamden’s wheelchair and disability, Paul never acted like Kamden was different. Kamden lives in California, and was born with a tumor. While he has had three surgeries, Kamden he is paraplegic and relies on a wheelchair.
The wheelchair gives Kamden freedom, but it is heavy and bulky, which sometimes makes it hard for Kamden to push himself. And, it’s causing accidents. Medical, the state’s Medicare, only pays for a wheelchair once every five years, and the Houshans couldn’t afford another chair. After the boys finished second grade this year, Paul told his mom he wanted to help Kamden get a new wheelchair.
He had watched a video about fundraising websites and he thought if he started a campaign for Kamden he could raise enough money to get him a customized wheelchair. Burnett interviewed him and the two wrote an intro for the Go Fund Me. In two weeks, the campaign exceeded its goal of $3,900 and raised $5,455, which covers the cost of a customized wheelchair.
Kamden tried out a demo wheelchair like the one he will receive in August and Houshan noticed an immediate difference. The boy was out on the dance floor at a family member’s baptism, rocking the chair from side to side.
“This new chair is a lot lighter,” Houshan said. “It will make things so much better. He could push himself more and do more.”
“Paul is really just a sweet kid,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it. Who would have thought? I never guessed it would be like this, not in a million years.”