Wings of Hope Makes Contribution to Jamel Sawyer

Jamel Sawyer was a student at Norwalk Community College studying Physical Therapy when he suddenly became paralyzed from the waist down after an infection by the superbug MRSA.

“The MRSA infection created a cyst on Jamel's spinal cord, paralyzing his legs. Now, at 20 years old, after a lifetime of playing sports, he is learning to live in a wheelchair.” (Stamford Advocate, 2011)

The Wings of Hope Foundation made a $5,000 contribution to Jamel and his family to outfit their home to accommodate a wheelchair.

Jamel, who overcame a difficult childhood remains in great spirits. He’s changing his path with a mission to pay it forward. He wants to go to business school so he can open a wheelchair sports club.

"In Atlanta, I saw these kids with disabilities playing basketball. They were playing really hard; they were very competitive," he said. "I never knew about this. I was so impressed. We don't have anything like that around here and it would be good to start one" said Jamel to the Stamford Advocate.

Thank you to our donors who have made this contribution possible. We look forward to seeing all that Jamel accomplishes in the future!

Read Jamel’s story in the Stamford Advocate here