Thank You , Dad
Life was good for Danny White in the year 2000. He loved spending time on the golf course, he'd just purchased his first home and there was a new woman in his life, his baby daughter, Elizabeth. At just 22, things couldn't get much better.
But three years later, he was in a wheelchair. A car accident had left him paralyzed.
"I remember," Danny says, "the doctor told me I was going to be paralyzed. I asked him, I said, 'Am I ever going to walk again' because they'd told me I had a neck injury and he said, 'No.' Well, I lost it - I totally lost it."
For Danny's father Dan, talking about the accident is still hard. "This is my only son and he means the world to me, he's my best friend," Dan says.
It's been that way since Danny was little. The two are inseparable.
Dan says, "It was just so nice, having a boy, I was like, 'Oh my son!' God, we get to do everything together and we did. It ended up being a dream almost you know, we've become so close."
The White family had always been a tight-knit group. Danny's accident only brought them closer.
Danny says, "I was 100 percent dependent on mom and dad. Mom and I, we stayed home together. We were best friends also."
His father says he would spend a couple hours with Danny every morning before he went to work. "And you know, we talked and we'd cry together," says Dan. "But I told him, I said, you know, even the struggling and the times that he was having a hard time dealing with being in the chair, I told him, I said Dan, 'You're here with me man, God didn't take you from me; he left you here for a reason.There's a purpose that you're here.'"
The family adjusted to Danny's paralysis and life moved on. Then, on Sept. 13, 2002 the unthinkable happened, again.
Danny says, "Dad called me and said mom's been in a real bad car accident."
Dan remembers, "I'm going down the road and then I find her in the field…" It is hard for him to speak. "um... she had rolled her car."
Dan's wife of 24-years and Daqnny's mom, Melissa, died at the scene.
As he looks at photos of the two of them together, Dan says, "She's my soul mate. We were just meant to be together." He chokes up and continues, "She was my backbone."
Two tragedies that would tear some families apart have done the opposite for this father and son.
Dan says, "It brings you closer together because not only did he rely on me more, I relied on him and I thank God everyday that he didn't take him."
Spending time at home with his son and granddaughter Lizzie is the best part of Dan's day now. They have found a strength in each other that is helping both of them heal.
Dan says about his son, "He's just very strong, very positive, he's an inspiration to me."
About his dad, Danny says, "He's always been faithful to his family, he's just always supported us; I just, I always wanted to grow up and be like him." He cries and says. "He's just a good man."
So Danny wanted to surprise his dad with a little something. Here is the wish he described in his letter:
"My father has been looking at Harley Davidson motorcycles for quite a while. My mom had always told him to just go out and buy himself one, but we all know how expensive they are and I think he felt guilty for spending that kind of money on himself. He deserves a toy just to get out and escape from all the problems in the crowd and reality. He has been a role model and provider for his family his entire life and I wish there was something I could do to repay him for his heart of gold...."
So thinking that The Early Show was doing a story about Father's Day, Dan White got surprised. John Wells from Centennial-Park Harley-Davidson in Pataskala, Ohio, Dan's hometown, gave him a Harley jacket. In its pocket were the keys to his new bike.
Here is a note from Thad Coffman, general manager of Centennial-Park Harley Davidson who along with Wells made the wish come true:
"I spent two summers during college volunteering at "Recreation Unlimited" which is camping for the handicapped. I know first hand how physically and emotionally challenging it is to have a loved one require special attention. I want to thank you and CBS for doing this and granting this wish. It's not about Harley-Davidson, it's not about Centennial Park, it's about being a part of a son's love for his father and celebrating a father totally dedicated to his family.
I thank you for letting us be a part of this dream come true. Hats off to CBS for taking the 'high road' during sweeps week and not falling on sensationalism to draw ratings. If there is anything else John or I can do to make this event special let us know."