GIBSONTON, Fla. — A wounded Marine Corps veteran and a sophomore at East Bay High School now have a special connection, all thanks to a Facebook post and a thoughtful teacher.  

Saul Santos-Sanchez now has a new set of wheels, which has made his life much more accessible.

For the first time Tuesday, Marine Corps veteran Lance Cpl. JT Doody made a trip to East Bay High School.

“The chair that we gave him is very similar to this one,” Doody's mother, Chris Ott, said as she helped guide his chair out of their van and into the school. 

Doody is in a power wheelchair, and using it has been a way of life for him since 2008. In 2007, he was shot while serving with the Marines in Fallujah and suffered serious infections during the healing process, which left him a quadriplegic.

He recently got a new wheelchair, and wanted to make sure his old chair found a new home.

“We had his other chair, and it was just sitting in the garage and we needed it to go to somebody," Ott said. "I couldn’t see just letting it sit there and not being put to use."

That’s where teacher Josh Herman comes in. He saw a post on Facebook about the chair, reached out to the school’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) specialist, and learned that Santos-Sanchez desperately needed a chair just like it. 

On Tuesday, they all met for the first time.

“I got to hear their story, and then being able to have that story get passed down to Saul, his family is going to really appreciate it," Herman said. "And that kind of paying it forward, keeping the helping hands moving, is a really cool story and I’m just happy to be a part of it."

Ott said these types of chairs can cost as much as $40,000, and while they’re blessed with help from the VA and other veteran’s organizations, it’s not always financially feasible for families.

“Absolutely awesome," she said of Santos-Sanchez receiving the chair. "Good. Yeah, that’s what we do, is we help people.”

And that’s what Doody says keeps him going, even during tough times, knowing he and his mom are making a difference.

“My mom is the best mom out there,” he said. 

Santos-Sanchez's new chair is being fitted for him.

Doody and Ott have donated other chairs, too, and say they always like to pay it forward when they can.

Ott has also accepted into the Children's Miracle Network Super Mom Contest, where she’s trying to win a cash prize in order to help other families. For more information, visit her Super Mom Contest webpage.