Teen Gets Aurora Fire Truck Costume Custom-Made For Wheelchair In Time For Halloween
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- It was a Halloween to remember for 13-year-old Brayden as he received his very own Aurora Fire truck. Once he was outfitted with the costume, he was ready to hit the streets for trick-or-treating.
"He loves anything with sirens and lights and anything he can manipulate with his hands. So a fire truck was right up his alley," said Brayden's mom, Heather Cruz. "It's more than I ever thought it was going to be. It's just amazing to know my son can have a costume."
Through fundraising and volunteers working with the organization Magic Wheelchair, they made a replica fire truck that can be attached to Brayden's wheelchair. It took six weeks to build and features lights and a bubble gun.
"He loves bubbles so that was a huge surprise to us," Cruz said.
Brayden is non-verbal and paraplegic. His fire truck costume is customizable and can be affixed to other wheelchairs as he grows.
"The mission statement is just to bring kids together, make them feel included in different festivals, ComiCon, Halloween, by building epic costumes," said Billy Settlemire, the lead designer and volunteer with Magic Wheelchair.
"Just to be a part with everybody else. To be just like his siblings. He'll be able to use that in our basement, outside, so this coming summer he'll be able to use it. He's the coolest kid now," Cruz said.
"Once he got in and started driving around and had a smile on his face. It felt great," said Settlemire, who has been the lead designer on three other costumes.
"They can go out in the neighborhood, and have other kids come up to them and say you're cool, this is awesome give them high fives, react to them in a way they haven't reacted to them before."
