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Jul 3, 2008 11:16 pm US/Central
Giving An Injured Soldier Freedom Once Again
(WCCO)
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On this modified bike are straps for Derek Weida's feet and spots for his hands to pedal the special bike that he sits in.
CBS
When men and women of the armed forces get home from Iraq, there's a group hoping to help them. The Bryan McDonough Military Heroes Foundation, is named after Bryan McDonough, a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard who was killed in an explosion while fighting the war in Iraq.
Bryan McDonough father started the foundation that has already helped about a dozen returning soldiers.
"He felt very strongly about what he did, and because we knew how he felt about his boys that we wanted to make sure we did something to take care of them," said Tom McDonough.
The latest young man the foundation has helped is 22-year-old Derek Weida from St. Paul. He's a member of the Army and the harsh reality for Weida came after his third deployment to Iraq when he was attacked while raiding a house. A bullet hit his right leg, blowing out the whole top part of the joint, and it cracking the femur up the middle.
"I saw the muzzle flash, and before I could process anything, I was looking up," he said. "It went in right in here. And that's the exit wound."
Weida spent six months in the hospital and has gone through more than 20 surgeries. He now uses a cane to help him walk.
"It takes pressure off the joint itself," said Weida. "People stare at me. When I walk with a cane, they don't know if it's an accessory or actually necessary."
Doctors told Weida he'd never run or bike again. But on Thursday, he proved them wrong.
"That's a sweet machine," he exclaimed, when he saw the Delta Recumbent Hand Cycle loaded off the pickup.
On this modified bike are straps for his feet and spots for his hands to pedal the special bike that he sits in. Riding a bike is something he's thought about doing since those days in the hospital bed.
"Breathtaking! It's just amazing," said his mother, who happily watched him ride the bike up and down their block in St. Paul. "That's just a little piece of heaven and a dream come true!"
Weida used to be very independent before the attack in Iraq and very athletic. He worked out and sometimes ran three times a day.
He couldn't be happier having his own bike.
"It's the perfect thing for me right now. It's exactly what I need to at least touch base with what I used to do and who I used to be," said Weida.
Freedom's what he fought for and it's his own freedom he now has back.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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