Shuckers game-day surprise: Local child receives funding for custom wheelchair

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- It was a heartwarming day at Keesler Federal Park when a local family received a life-changing gift during a Biloxi Shuckers game in late July.

Nine-year-old Derrick and his mother, Cynthia, were presented with a check for a custom wheelchair from the Shuckers and Gulfport Kiwanis Club, with support from Wheelchairs 4 Kids.

Wheelchairs 4 Kids provides wheelchairs, home and vehicle modifications, and other medical equipment at no cost to families of children with physical disabilities.

The organization says Cynthia reached out with a desperate need for a new adaptive wheelchair to help Derrick travel more easily. Derrick is a survivor of Shaken Baby Syndrome. He is nonverbal, tube-fed and unable to walk, but Wheelchairs 4 Kids says his joy shines through every day.

Thanks to the generosity of the Gulfport Kiwanis Club and the Shuckers, Derrick has more freedom to explore the world.