A Feel Good Friday surprise for a couple who performed a sledding miracle for woman in wheelchair

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EastIdahoNews.com is partnering with Ashley and Ashley Outlet of Idaho Falls to honor people in our community for Feel Good Friday. Every week, we surprise someone deserving of special recognition.

We recently received an email about a couple who went and beyond to help a woman in a wheelchair go sledding. It said:

My wife became disabled a few years ago and has reduced mobility. Out in public she usually uses a wheelchair. Last year, all winter she wanted to go sledding, but there was no way for us to make that happen. This year when we learned about Idaho Falls Snow Park with a magic carpet, we hoped finally she would be able to go sledding. We were already committed to taking a young boy sledding on Christmas Day and so my wife really hoped she could go also. Christmas Eve she spoke with Idaho Falls Snow Park. They wanted so much to be able to help her, but after sending us videos of what we would need to overcome, it was clear that dedicated help would be required. Everyone we knew already had commitments.

I knew not everyone out there has plans on Christmas Day. There are plenty of people who wish they had somewhere to be or something to do on Christmas Day. So Christmas morning I posted on Life in Idaho Falls asking for help. We needed 1-2 more able bodied people to help us. It wasn’t too long later that Christie reached out. She and her family were eager to help. I let Idaho Falls Snow Park know we would be coming and they were eager to help also.

When we met at the snow park Christie and Joaquin were immediately ready to pitch in. There was nothing “easy” about this job. It was a very physical task to pull my wife the distances to sled. Everyone took turns, and no one ever complained. In fact, sweat soaked, Christie loved to show off how strong she is. My wife says with Christie she was riding on a cloud. She teased us relentlessly about how much stronger Christie was than me and Joaquin. When Santa insisted on a turn pulling her sled, my wife said Santa might be a close second to Christie. When Christie took over after Santa’s turn, immediately my wife clarified Santa was a distant second.

Getting my wife on and off the magic carpet was another huge hurdle. Joaquin helped me get her off the ground and support her on the way up. This was a huge workout for her also. The snow park really dialed in the best way to accommodate my wife and keep her safe. While Joaquin helped me get her up the hill, Christie managed all the tubes.

My wife had the best time laughing and smiling the whole time. As far as she was concerned everything was going so smooth. She never dreamed it could go so easily. Usually these things require a LOT of trial and error. We were there for 2.5 hours and she loved getting to know Christie and Joaquin and appreciated all the help.

Christie and Joaquin were more perfect for the job than we ever imagined.

We were able to track Christie and Joaquin down to thank them for Feel Good Friday! Check out the video in the player above.

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